


Doctor Whooves- Parallel Complications

by Coheed275



Category: Doctor Who, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-07-23 14:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 106,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16160969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coheed275/pseuds/Coheed275
Summary: After narrowly escaping death, the Doctor finds himself on a strange world- and discovers he's been turned into a pony. Join the Doctor and Paige as they travel through time to discover how the Doctor ended up here, and uncover one of the biggest threats the Doctor has ever faced.





	1. The Transformation, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part of a reupload project to put all my fics from different fandoms into one place. This was originally released between 2013-2015 on fimfiction.net.

Silence. Nothing broke the stillness of the planet surface. Nothing moved in the stillness of the day until a light breeze began to form. The light breeze grew heavier, then a strange whirring sound began to follow. To many, this sound merely rose curiosity. To many more, the sound meant hope. A little blue police box began to fade into existence. The sound known all across time and space shook the stillness of the planet surface, the whirring noise echoing again and again, until at last the box became solid, resting on the ground.

Inside the box, where things were much bigger, a man in a light grey suit, with matching light grey pants (color wasn’t his thing this time around) clapped his hands together, messing with some controls on a large, round console. His hair was blond and short, still not ginger unfortunately, and his eyes were a bright green. He was long past the eleventh version of himself, where things had gone a bit crazy and he ended up regenerating another couple of times that he didn’t expect. He still had plenty to give to the universe, and now more time to do so. He was the Doctor.

The ride had been a bit bumpy, and a girl pulled herself up with a railing, laughing. She wore a blue vest and jeans, her straight, dark brown hair falling just beneath her shoulders. “That was so much fun,” she said, chuckling.

“Here we are, Samantha! The planet Benzo, 62nd century.” The Doctor smiled as he looked toward the TARDIS doors. “You’re in for a treat.”

“What’s out there?” Samantha asked, moving next to the Doctor.

The Doctor raised up his arms as he moved away from the console, shouting in delight as he ran into another room of the ship. “Mountains!”

Samantha watched as he ran off, her face turning to a frown. “Mountains? And why are mountains such a treat?” she asked. “I don’t consider a hiking trip exciting.”

“It’s exciting…” the Doctor shouted back from the room he was in. Samantha could hear the sounds of items being rummaged through, many things clanking on the floor as the Doctor searched for something. “Because…” after a few seconds more, the Doctor reappeared, holding two space suits, one in each hand. “The mountains are made of pure ruby.”

“Oh!” Samantha’s face lit up. “Now that’s an incredible sight,” she replied, jumping in excitement for a moment. “But… why the space suits?”

“Because these ruby mountains are extremely hot.” The Doctor tossed Samantha her space suit. “It’s a great sight to see, but it’s dangerous, so I need you to stay near me and be careful.”

“You keep telling me to be safe, and I keep reminding you that I have a getaway car if you get me in too much trouble,” Samantha said, holding up her wrist to show the Doctor the black device latched around it. “Vortex manipulator that I got from one of our trips to Earth. You know, if you found less companions from the 21st century and more from the 50th, some of us might actually know  _how_  to stay safe on an alien planet.”

“Yes, yes, you have a vortex manipulator, but one that’s missing a key component in the hardware.” The Doctor began donning his suit. “It’ll work, but I can’t guarantee how many times it will work before it stops being any good, so save it for a good one, alright?”

“Right. No vortex manipulator unless absolutely necessary. Besides, I don’t want to teleport away and have to chase you down.” Samantha chuckled, and the Doctor returned the grin. She moved the vortex manipulator to the outside of the space suit, put on the gloves, and lastly, latched on the helmet. She nodded to the Doctor, signaling she was ready.

“Of course. Now then, mountains of pure ruby?”

“You bet.”

The Doctor and Samantha had been traveling together for just over a year. Samantha used to work at an energy plant, until the entire facility exploded due to an internal attack on the systems. However, the Doctor was there when the accident took place, and saved her from the building’s destruction. Since he had no companion at the time, and had never taken a companion aboard that wasn’t completely oblivious to space travel, he thought it would be a nice change of pace, and Samantha’s initial excuse was that it was better than searching for a new job. She never regretted the decision from then on.

The pair slowly made their way to the TARDIS doors. The Doctor pushed them open, and he and Samantha were greeted by a bright sight. Miles upon miles of pure ruby glistened in the rays of the nearby star, sparkling more than the finest jewelry in the universe. Peaks of all different shapes and sizes covered the landscape, all one fluid shade of crimson.

“Wow… just wow…” Samantha breathed, at a loss for words. “I can almost see through an entire mountain!”

“Beautiful,” the Doctor added, taking in a deep breath. “Absolutely beautiful.” He nudged Samantha, motioning forward. “Come on, you’ll be able to tell all your friends you’ve gone hiking on a mountain of pure ruby.”

The Doctor and Samantha began their walk, scaling the ruby landscape. There was nothing to disturb them; a peaceful silence overtook the two travelers. As they walked, they came across a few loose chunks of ruby, small enough to carry. Samantha decided she would get a necklace made out of some of this, and placed a chunk of ruby in one of her pockets.

“Space suits with pockets, you just never run out of ideas, do you?” Samantha said, starting to head for a good looking view point the Doctor had noticed.

“I never understood why there weren’t pockets on them in the first place,” the Doctor replied with a chuckle.

“So, tell me about the Benzolians.” Samantha took care with her steps, not wanting to trip and fall.

“The Benzolians are hunters and trackers,” the Doctor began. “They don’t do much for large scale fighting, but you never want to get caught in a one on one situation with them. They keep to themselves really, not a very social race, but if they get paid to go after you, or you happen to come across one when he’s in a bad mood, they will do everything they can to kill you.”

“And… we’re walking on their mountains.”

“Yes,” the Doctor replied. Samantha began to give him a scolding look, but he laughed and waved it off. “Don’t worry, these mountains aren’t habitable for them either,” the Doctor replied. “We won’t find any Benzolians just walking about.”

The two travelers continued their hike, pointing at various mountain peaks and taking in the sights. The mountains seemed to stretch on forever, covering several thousand square miles of the planet, even with how much had been mined for trading. When the Doctor reached the base of the view point he had noticed, he rushed for the top, leaving Samantha behind. Samantha shouted and chased after him, stumbling from having never worn a space suit like this.

“Come on! Gotta see the view from up here!” the Doctor shouted back to Samantha. He easily made it to the top first, taking in a deep breath as he gazed over the horizon, the whole mountain range shimmering. He closed his eyes, taking in the calmness of the moment as he reveled in something brand new, never seen in person by his eyes. A strong gust of wind began to blow through, and the Doctor opened his eyes to make sure he wasn’t going to fall. He then wished he’d kept his eyes closed.

Samantha panted as she worked to catch up, learning how to run in the massive suit she wore. She saw the Doctor go very still.

“Hot, uninhabitable mountains on a planet with a guard in orbit constantly. I really don’t see any point in scouting around.”

“What was that last bit? The wind’s picked up a tad,” Samantha shouted, still heading for the top. With one final step, she arrived next to the Doctor, and when she looked up, her jaw slowly dropped.

In front of her was a small, hovering black ship. It looked like an average scout ship, hovering capability, minimal additions to the chassis, with one exception. The two large gun mounts pointing at Samantha and the Doctor.

“Oh,” Samantha said. “So that’s what the wind was.”

“Just my luck, we come to Benzo and these paranoid aliens have scouts flying about on the planet surface,” the Doctor said under his breath. He stared at the ship, looking for any weak point.

“Doctor,” Samantha muttered, standing completely still. “Anything you can do with your sonic screwdriver? Maybe fry a few circuits?”

The Doctor beamed for a split second, then smacked his hand against his visor. “If I remembered to take it out of my suit pocket before putting on a space suit, yes,” he replied.

“Great.” Samantha sighed, rolling her eyes. She then slowly began moving her arms, placing her hands behind her back.

“STATE NAME AND PLANET OF ORIGIN.” A deep, throaty voice bellowed from a speaker on the outside of the ship. The Doctor blinked, wishing he could scratch his ears a bit after that.

“Um, I’m John Smith and this is Samantha, we’re traveling merchants from Gradus Four,” the Doctor shouted.

“HOW DID YOU GET PAST OUR ORBITAL GUARD?”

“They said we could come down to the planet and walk about for a bit-“

“NO ONE IS ALLOWED ON THE SURFACE OF BENZO BESIDES US. YOU ARE A LIAR.” The Doctor sighed, quickly trying to think of something else. “YOU, FEMALE,” the voice continued. The ship turned slightly towards Samantha. “REMOVE YOUR ARMS FROM BEHIND YOUR BACK. BOTH OF YOU PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR, NOW.”

The Doctor complied, raising his hands up. “No need to hurt us, we comply,” the Doctor shouted. “Samantha, do as he says,” he added under his breath.

Samantha was fidgeting around slightly, a stressed look on her face. “Just a second,” she whispered, keeping her hands behind her back.

“Samantha, do it now and we might not get shot.”

Samantha fidgeted for another moment, then raised her hands up. “Sorry, I’m a bit slow,” she shouted in the direction of the ship.

“LYING AND DELAYED COMPLIANCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED,” the voice replied. “I WILL DEAL WITH YOU PERSONALLY.” The sound of the weapons charging up could be heard, and a green aura became visible from inside the barrel.

“Doctor, grab my arm,” Samantha muttered quickly.

“Why?” the Doctor asked.

Samantha rolled her eyes again, sighing. “Because I want you to hold me before I die. Just do it!”

The Doctor looked at Samantha, and his eyes widened when he realized what she intended. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm with both hands.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“Sorry Mr. Benzolian, I’ve got a getaway car.” Samantha swung her right hand over to her left, pressing the final button needed on her vortex manipulator. In a flash, she and the Doctor disappeared from the Benzolian’s sight.

 

**

 

With another flash of light, the Doctor and Samantha reappeared inside the TARDIS, both of them breathing heavily from adrenaline.

“Ok, I’d say that was a good one,” Samantha said, taking off her helmet and throwing it to the side.

“Yes, now we need to get out of here before they find the TARDIS,” the Doctor said, quickly removing his helmet and rushing to the console. He took his gloves off on the way there, and began manipulating various controls and buttons with one hand while trying to get the suit off with the other.

“Any time would be lovely!” Samantha replied, running across the TARDIS to throw her space suit in the room she had seen the Doctor take it from.

“I’m going!” The Doctor turned a dial and pulled a lever while desperately trying to shake his right leg free of the suit, the only ligament left inside. He turned away from the console, distracted by the suit, and before he could kick free, a loud crack shuddered through the TARDIS, and the entire ship rumbled about. The Doctor stumbled and fell, and Paige threw herself on a railing to stay upright.

“I think they found us!” Samantha yelled.

The Doctor used his hands to push off the last bit of the suit, then scrambled to his feet. “What did they do to you?” The Doctor looked at his monitor, opening up a damage report. “Oh, that’s not good.”

“What’s not good?”

“They damaged the TARDIS more than I thought with that blast,” the Doctor explained. Soon after speaking they were hit with another blast, shaking the entire ship about once more. The Doctor grabbed the monitor again. “We were luckier on that one. We can’t travel through time, but we can still travel through space. I’m going to try and run.” He began pushing more buttons, and the engine of the TARDIS began to move.

“We’re going to try to run from some of the most well-known hunters in the universe?”

“Well, I didn’t say it was a great idea, but right now it’s our only option!”

The TARDIS lifted off the surface of Benzo, quickly taking off into space. Several scout ships had joined the first one, their weapons charged to full, and they quickly turned upwards, following suit.

Once outside the planet’s atmosphere, the Doctor began evasive maneuvers, flying the TARDIS this way and that as more laser blasts whizzed by. The Doctor sped up, and the Benzolians had no trouble doing the same, getting closer and closer to hitting the TARDIS again.

A message came through to the TARDIS, and automatically began playing. “SURRENDER AT ONCE, YOU WILL BE DESTROY-“

The Doctor slapped the transmission off, then stretched his fingers out. “Help me work the controls, we can do this!”

Samantha moved to the side of the console opposite from the Doctor, manipulating controls as he instructed. Three Benzolian ships continued to follow them, but their shots were now missing by much more. The TARDIS whirled about, performing feats that no other ship could possibly do, dodging blast after blast. Sparks continued to fly from the walls and the console now and then, the TARDIS pushing itself given the extent of the damage.

“Try the red lever!” the Doctor instructed, and Samantha pushed it down. The Doctor checked the monitor again, and dug his nails into the top of his head. “Ahg, I can’t get any more speed out of the TARDIS! We have to find a way to lose them.” He continued to press various buttons as he looked at the monitor, performing evasive maneuvers while at the same time searching for any way out of this mess. “Oh!” Excitement appeared on the Doctor’s face, and Samantha lightened up as well, ready for some good news. “There’s a temporal storm nearby! Oh…” The Doctor checked the monitor again. “Bit of a big temporal storm…” he mumbled to himself, then resumed shouting to Samantha. “The TARDIS could get through it, but their ships couldn’t. If we go in, we could lose them, but…”

The Doctor had that look on his face that Samantha knew too well. There was always a catch. “But what?” Samantha asked.

“But I’ve never flown in to a temporal storm with a damaged TARDIS,” the Doctor said. “I don’t know what will happen. But it’s our only option at the moment.” The Doctor looked down, thinking, working his brain to come up with something that would save, him, Samantha, and the TARDIS all at once. His options were slimming by the second, but he couldn’t lose any of the three. A difficult decision needed to be made. He looked back up towards Samantha. “Samantha, is your vortex manipulator still working?”

Samantha took her hands off the console, fighting to keep her balance as the TARDIS continued to twist and turn through space. She examined her wrist. “Yes, but why-“

“I think we have another good one.” The Doctor’s eyes were steady, and he gazed at Samantha with an expression of sadness.

Samantha did a double take. She had always joked about being able to jump away at the sign of big trouble, but now she couldn’t. “I can’t just leave you-“

“I can’t lose the TARDIS, so I have to stay,” the Doctor interrupted. “But there’s nothing you can do if flying through the temporal storm goes badly. I could end up any time, any place, and who knows how much damage the TARDIS will take. I need you to go.”

The Doctor stared at Samantha, and she stared back. She had traveled with the Doctor for so long, gone on so many adventures with him, and she felt like they had escaped from worse than this. She couldn’t leave with the possibility that this would be goodbye. But another successful blast from the Benzolians shook the TARDIS hard, and as she and the Doctor fought to stay standing, sparks flying this way and that out of TARDIS machinery, she knew that the Doctor was right, and there was no time to argue. She slowly rose her wrist, setting coordinates to land near home. A tear ran down her face as she finished, and her hand trembled on the button. “Don’t you die on me, Doctor. I’ll find you.”

The Doctor couldn’t take away the look of pain from his eyes, but he turned his mouth to a smile. “I look forward to it.”

The Benzolians were learning quickly, and yet another blast managed to hit the TARDIS. The Doctor’s face returned to one of seriousness, silently urging Samantha to go. After one second more, Samantha pressed the button, jumping through time and space, away from danger.

“Right then, temporal storm, here I come.” The Doctor hastily worked more controls, now having to pilot on his own. With skill and a bit of luck, he managed to avoid taking any more laser blasts as he flew straight towards the storm. As the TARDIS and Benzolians reached the outer edge, the Benzolian ships halted their pursuit, and with a deep breath, the Doctor kept right on flying.

“Perfect!” The Doctor clapped his hands together, grinning triumphantly when he saw the Benzolians give up. “Now, let’s see if I can avoid any really bad pockets of this-“

A particularly large explosion of sparks from the console sent the Doctor flying back, and he crashed on to the floor as the TARDIS began to creak and moan. He rose and ran back towards the console, grabbing on to the monitor to avoid soaring across the room again as G forces began to pull him in every direction.

Looking at the monitor, he saw readings that he had never seen before. “What in the world is going on?” He manipulated a few controls, trying to figure out what these readings meant, and nothing changed. “Well this is different-“

With another explosion from the console, the Doctor flew back again. This time, his head smacked into the wall, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

 

**

 

The Doctor coughed and sputtered as he awoke. He moaned and rolled over to his back, breathing slowly. Every inch of his body ached. He could still hear the occasional flurry of sparks shooting out from places, but there was no more storm. He had landed somewhere.

“Ugh…” the Doctor groaned, pain shooting through every muscle as he struggled to his feet. He trudged towards the console, swaying a bit, his eyes mostly closed from the pain of light hitting his eyes. “I must’ve really hit my head hard. Console looks taller…”

The Doctor braced himself on the console, and stared up at the monitor while struggling to push a few buttons. His fingers seemed to refuse to work with him. “Alright, where did we land old girl?” the Doctor asked.

After somehow managing to push the right buttons, the monitor blinked on. That was a good sign, the TARDIS still had some energy and working parts. After several seconds, the monitor displayed a location and time.

“You’re kidding,” the Doctor said, dumbfounded. “I flew into a temporal storm with a badly damaged ship, I could have landed anywhere in the universe or not landed at all. And where do I land? Earth. 21st century.” He lowered himself off the console, shutting his eyes tightly a few times and slowly adjusting them to light again. At last, he opened his eyes wide, for now ignoring the bits of metal and scrap everywhere from a good portion of the ship falling apart. “Let’s take a look at where I landed.”

The Doctor pushed the TARDIS doors open, greeted by a sunny day. A light breeze created a perfect temperature, soothing his stressed mind. He found himself in a grassy field. A dirt path was a few hundred feet away, leading to what looked like a small town that connected to several other towns in the distance. Perhaps it was one big city, but to the Doctor’s surprise he had no idea where he was. He returned his examination to the area near him. Ponies ran about in the field, playing and relaxing under the few trees that were around.

“Wait, what?”

Ponies. Bright, multicolored ponies. The Doctor knew Horse, and they weren’t speaking it. They were speaking English.

“What?”

Everywhere the Doctor looked, a pony with a different colored coat, mane and tail. All of them had strange images on their rear hips, adding to the confusion the Doctor was experiencing.

“But this is Earth, 21st century,” the Doctor said to himself. “What happened to all the people? And hold on-“ he looked at the TARDIS door, or rather, looked up at it. “Since when is the TARDIS so tall? I wasn’t imagining it at the console earlier. Did I shrink? Or…”

The Doctor’s eyes bulged, and he slammed the TARDIS door shut, running as fast as he could. He bolted in to a different room of the TARDIS, one that had a full body mirror. When he reached the room he stopped abruptly, unable to stop staring. He slowly approached the mirror, in denial of what he saw.

Where his reflection should be stood a pony. The body was white, and the mane and tail were both yellow. The tail hung down straight, with no real style to it, and the mane rested on the left side of his neck, with the top forming bangs that hung just above the eyes. The Doctor looked down, seeing the same hooves that he saw in the reflection, proving that this mirror hadn’t transformed into a window.

“What.”


	2. The Transformation, Part 2

“Alright, stay calm Doctor, stay calm, think think think…”

The Doctor hurriedly paced back and forth, trying to sort out what had happened. He took slow, deep breaths, keeping himself as calm as possible while the impossible surrounded him.

“So Doctor, you landed on Earth, but everyone’s a pony, and you look like a pony too… so that means that clearly…” The Doctor stopped pacing. “I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.”

Moving to the console, the Doctor manipulated some controls, pushing buttons as best as he could with his hooves. He set up the TARDIS so that it would recharge some power, and he could make a more intense scan of his surroundings.

“Alright Doctor, you have no idea how all this happened, you can’t do anything with the TARDIS until she gets some power back, and you’ve been talking to yourself for twenty two minutes and thirty one seconds. Probably time to go outside, get some fresh air.”

The Doctor turned for the TARDIS doors, hundreds of questions pounding in his mind for answers. “I mean, ponies! Why ponies? This has got to be the most ridiculous day I’ve had in-“

“Hello!”

“AH!”

Upon opening the TARDIS door the Doctor was greeted by a pony, and out of shock he reared up and fell backwards, the door shutting again as he collapsed to the floor.

“Um, hello? Are you alright?” A muffled, female voice called out through the door. Her accent was similar to the Doctor’s, and she seemed to have genuine concern in her voice.

The Doctor slowed his breath back to normal, rolling over to pick himself up again. He was surprised by his seemingly nonexistent trouble with maneuvering on limbs never before used by him. He collected himself, then opened the door just enough to poke his head out.

“Hello,” the Doctor said. “How are you?”

Outside the door was a female pony, with a warm smile yet slightly confused look on her face. Her body was a faded blue color, with eyes almost matching the shade, and a light, faded yellow mane and tail accompanied her. Her mane was long and mostly straight, with only a few natural curls in places, and her tail was just as simple, falling about a foot short of the ground.

“I was going to ask you the same question, are you alright?” the mare asked.

“Who, me? Perfectly fine, couldn’t be better,” the Doctor replied, nodding rapidly. “Just, you know, hanging out. In my box.”

The two stood there for a moment in silence. The Doctor looked this way and that, and Paige simply stared. She finally decided to speak again. “I had never seen this box before when walking this way, that’s why I came to see what it was, and then I heard you mumbling inside it.”

“Oh, well you’re a clever one, aren’t you?” the Doctor said, grinning at the mare in front of him.

“Clever?” the mare blushed. “I wouldn’t call myself very clever, what makes you say that?”

“Look around you,” the Doctor said, reaching a hoof out from behind the door. “There are a lot of ponies here, and yet none of them seem to care that there’s a blue box sitting here that’s never been here before. To them it’s just a thing, they walk by, say ‘that’s strange’, and move on. You, though… you’re curious.”

“I guess…” the mare shrugged, but did realize that she was the only one paying attention to the box, and didn’t know what to think about that.

“So, miss, would you mind telling me something? Is this planet Earth?” the Doctor asked.

The mare looked back at the Doctor. “You say that like there’s another option,” she replied.

“Yeah, sort of hit my head earlier… but this is Earth?”

“Well, yes,” she said. “You’re on the planet Earth, in the Kingdom of Equestria, and right now we’re in Southern London.”

“But London isn’t in Equestria, it’s… actually, what is Equestria?”

“Was that a big hit on the head?”

“Sort of, yeah…” Now the Doctor had another dozen things to mull over. “Anyways, would you like to come inside?”

“Inside your box?” The mare looked around both sides of the blue box, observing the size of the outside. “It’s a bit… small.”

“Nothing to worry about, plenty of room, but I’ve got things to do,” the Doctor said, talking faster and faster. “Tell you what. I’ll leave the door unlocked, and if you’re still curious, come on in.”

“But-“

The door shut, and the mare was left outside. She had no idea what just happened, or what this strange pony could possibly be doing inside the box. She turned to move on with her day, but then looked back at the doors, hearing the sounds of metal clanking about. The sound carried more echo than it should have… for a box so small. Strange. After pausing for a few seconds, she shrugged, and stepped inside, astounded when she entered a large room.

“I thought you might be curious enough!” the Doctor shouted from the other side of the room. He was back to pacing, fumbling through scraps of metal.

The mare looked around, flinching at the occasional sparks. “Is it supposed to have sparks and metal everywhere?” she asked.

“Not usually, no, it’s normally a lot nicer in here, I promise,” the Doctor said. “By the way, what was your name?”

“Oh, I’m Paige. Paige Turner,” she replied.

The Doctor walked up to Paige, giving her a smile. “Well hello Paige, I’m the Doctor. I’d shake your hand but that’s a bit impossible at the moment.” He turned away from Paige, resuming his search in the scrap metal. “Now what I need to find is my sonic screwdriver.”

“A sonic what?”

“A sonic screwdriver. It’s this little stick looking thing with a light on it that makes interesting noises. Trust me, it’s much more useful than the way I just described it. Do you see anything around the- hold on. Something’s not right.” The Doctor turned towards Paige again. He walked up to her, staring into her eyes. Paige smiled at first, but then wasn’t sure what to say. The Doctor leaned in his head closer to hers, and she took a step back, a blush coming over her face.

“Bigger on the inside. Did you notice?” the Doctor asked.

Paige backed up a bit more. “Well, yes. But-“

“So many have walked in here, and been shocked, but you don’t even seem to be phased by it.”

“Well, it’s amazing, really, and it would be great for storage, but I thought it was just some sort of magic spell that was set up.”

“Magic?” the Doctor backed away again, and Paige relaxed. “I’ve dealt with magic, usually just a scam to impress ignorant species, or some sort of entertainment show. Is there a lot of magic around these parts?”

“Well, from unicorns, yes- are you sure you’re alright? You seriously have no idea what magic is?”

“Unicor- hold on.” The Doctor turned back towards Paige, and his eyes bulged. “You’ve got wings!”

“Well… yes. I’m a pegasus,” Paige replied. She flexed her wings a bit, stretching them out.

“But that’s brilliant!” the Doctor exclaimed, bubbling up with excitement. “A talking pony with wings, this gets more and more interesting! And now you’re telling me that there are unicorns? Ponies with horns, strange abilities?”

“Yes, I’m telling you because you seem to have no idea. Do you need to go the hospital?”

“No don’t worry, bump on the head, happens all the time… ah! Sonic screwdriver!” The Doctor discovered his sonic screwdriver in the corner of the room, just peeking out over a sheet of metal. He ran over to it, and when he reached out for it, kicked it a small distance away from him.

“Oh. Hooves. Right. I think I need… to sit down for a moment.” The Doctor sat on the floor, everything jumbling about in his head becoming a bit too much.

Paige cautiously walked towards the Doctor. “I’ve asked this a couple times already, but… are you alright?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure,” the Doctor replied, speaking more softly now. He raised his front hooves, examining them. “It’s just, I’ve got hooves. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Paige now saw genuine confusion on the Doctor’s face. She sat down as well, keeping back a bit from the Doctor out of nervousness, looking at the mysterious colt in front of her. “Astounded by wings, no idea what magic is, confused by hooves… who are you?”

“I… I’m honestly not sure…”

Paige frowned. She had no idea why she felt sad for this random pony she had never met, but there was something different about him. “Well, let’s find out together,” Paige said, putting on a warm smile. She wanted to at least try helping. “You said you were the Doctor, yes? Do you have a name?”

“No, just the Doctor.”

“You sure about that?”

“It sounds strange, but yes.”

“Alright then, Doctor,” Paige decided to leave that question as is and worry about it later. “You seem a bit old to not have a cutie mark yet.”

“A what?”

“So you also don’t know what a cutie mark is, right,” Paige took a deep breath. “A cutie mark is something you get when you discover your special talent.”

“Paige, that sounds like a children’s story,” the Doctor said.

“But it’s true. Look, I’ve got one.” Paige turned a bit to reveal the side of her hind leg, and the Doctor’s eyes came across what looked like a picture, like the other ones he had seen before when he scanned the landscape outside. A large book, opened up to the middle page, but with no words on it.

“So what, you get some sort off tattoo when you discover your talent?” the Doctor asked.

“No, it appears, it’s part of you,” Paige replied. “I’m good with books. I’ve always loved them. Now I work at the library in town.”

“It appears? That’s… I don’t know how to explain that…”

“No two cutie marks are the same, even though ponies have similar talents,” Paige explained. “It’s something that makes everypony unique.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say? About being unique?”

“Um… that a cutie mark is what makes everypony unique?”

The Doctor fell into a fit of laughter for a moment, but quickly stopped himself, clearing his throat. He almost bubbled up again, but maintained control of himself. “Sorry, just… didn’t expect to ever hear the word ‘everypony’ in my life.”

“You are rather strange, do you know that?”

“Believe me, yes,” the Doctor replied with a grin. A thought struck him. “Paige, have you ever found it strange that your talent is with books and your name sounds like turning the page of a book?”

“Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn’t, depends on the pony,” Paige said. “Most ponies say our cutie marks are fate, they’re who we are.”

“Now magic you might be able to make me believe, but I typically don’t do well with accepting fate,” the Doctor said, grinning once more. A long, low tone emitted from the TARDIS console, and the Doctor jumped up. “Enough power to figure out where I really am, perfect!”

The Doctor rushed for the console, but when a jet of sparks shot out from the monitor, the readings he was about to check blinked out. He would need his sonic screwdriver for a quick fix. He backtracked, finding his screwdriver on the floor. “Now… how am I going to get that over there?”

“You could… pick it up,” Paige said, the solution obvious to her.

“With what?”

“With your mouth.”

“With my mouth? That’s ridiculous, why-“ the Doctor looked down, finding hooves there again. “Right. Why not then.”

The Doctor lowered his head, awkwardly biting down on his sonic screwdriver. He lifted his head again and moved towards the console, staring at the monitor. Tilting his head, placing his front hooves up on the paneling, the Doctor just barely managed to get the screwdriver in the right place. He bit down a bit harder, activating it. After a few seconds, the monitor buzzed on.

“Perfect!” the Doctor shouted. Forgetting that the sonic screwdriver was in his mouth, he jumped when it hit the floor. “Anyways…” he looked back at the screen, taking in all the data it was giving him. “But that’s…” the Doctor looked closer to be sure. “I’m in a parallel universe!”

“A parallel… such a thing only exists in books,” Paige said, still on the other side of the room, unsure of what the Doctor was looking at.

“But if I landed in a parallel universe, how is the TARDIS alive at all?” the Doctor said, thinking out loud. “And if I’m on a parallel version of Earth where the planet is inhabited by talking ponies, this isn’t a universe close by in the dimensions like Rose’s, I’ve gone… impossibly far… agh, more and more questions, no answers.” The Doctor scratched his head with a hoof, deciding what to do next. “Paige,” he said as he turned around, planting his hooves on the floor again. “I need some time to not think and stop going crazy for a bit, is there a place we could go? Sightsee a bit while I gather myself more? Just pretend like I’m a baby who has no idea about anything in the world, except for the fact that I can speak English perfectly.”

“Um… sure?” Paige said, standing up. Her entire schedule for the day had officially been changed by a random pony in a box.

“Perfect.” The Doctor moved to the other side of the console and struggled to push several more buttons. “I don’t know how you’re still working, old girl, but since you are, I may as well put you on a regeneration cycle,” he said quietly, then returned to where Paige could see him. “Now then, where to?” he said, leaning down and picking up his sonic screwdriver with his mouth once more.

 

**

 

The Doctor and Paige began walking through the streets of Southern London, looking at this and that. Paige tucked the Doctor’s screwdriver underneath a wing so he’d be capable of talking. She grew more and more intrigued by the Doctor, noticing the wonder on his face as they walked through what was typically Paige’s route to work every day. Luckily, she had the day off, so she wasn’t going to get in trouble at the library due to a random stallion that she couldn’t seem to get herself to walk away from. She was too curious about who he was.

“So ponies made all this? All these buildings?” the Doctor asked. He felt like he was in any other town. It wasn’t as modern as the 21st century Earth he knew, but the fact that all this had been done with just hooves, and whatever magic Paige spoke of, was quite impressive. On top of that, ponies walked around as if this was nothing strange, for to them it wasn’t. The Doctor stood in a brand new experience, where suddenly ponies weren’t just wild animals, and all the ponies around him just called this their day to day life.

“Yes, earth ponies do most of the work usually, and then unicorns help with any complex portion of the structure,” Paige explained. Until she had a better idea of who the Doctor was, she planned to do exactly as he said: pretend like he was a baby that could speak and understand English perfectly. “Each type of pony has natural talents in different areas. Earth ponies are very strong, pegasi can fly of course, making them lighter and faster, and unicorns are skilled with more artistic and complex endeavors. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t earth ponies who can play the cello or unicorns who rely on their physical strength. All the types of ponies can do whatever they put their mind too.”

The Doctor felt like a filled up sponge, trying to soak in more and more of the environment around him but having trouble doing so. The road they walked on was perfectly laid cobblestone, and short, two story buildings lined both sides of the road, built in close proximity to each other. A bulky, grey “earth pony” as Paige had named them came strolling by with a cart full of grapes behind him, nodding his head and saying hello to ponies as he passed by. The stallion stopped near the Doctor and Paige, and gave a wave with a front hoof.

“Hullo, there!” the grey stallion said happily. His accent was thicker than Paige’s, but still carried the same English sounding tones. “Ya know, I can never remember everypony’s names, but I’m always good with faces. Can’t say I’ve ever seen you around, sir.”

“Well, yes, hello there,” the Doctor replied, nodding in reply. “I am new actually, quite new. Those grapes look delicious.”

“Would you care for some? I’m making a delivery but I always carry plenty extra for folks who want to buy some on my way to a drop off.”

“Why not. How much?” the Doctor asked.

“Just 3 bits for a pound.”

The Doctor’s ears flattened when he realized he didn’t know how the monetary system worked here, nor did he even have any money. “Hmm, bits…” he said slowly. He subtly nudged Paige with a hind hoof so the stallion couldn’t see, and Paige finally realized why the Doctor was stalling.

“Oh, actually, he is very new, like he said, I just got back from picking him up from… where he’s from,” Paige said. “Neither of us have bits on us, only foreign money.” A lie, but Paige wanted the quickest route out of the situation.  “But hey, these would make a great snack for work. Could you stop by the library tomorrow? I’d love to buy some.”

“Sure thing, miss!” the stallion said, slowly getting the cart moving again. “You two have a good day!”

When the stallion trotted off, Paige turned to the Doctor. “Bits are little gold coins, the most current monetary system for Equestria.”

“Gotcha.”

The two continued on, casually walking down the road. “So, how long have ponies been around?” the Doctor asked.

“Nopony knows for sure,” Paige replied. “Written history began a few thousand years ago.”

“Wow, quite a lot of development, in such a short time,” the Doctor commented. “That’s quite remarkable.”

Every time the Doctor asked a question, Paige formed another question about him. She had never been more confused in her life. And yet… she wasn’t walking away, leaving the Doctor be, like other ponies might. He correctly guessed one thing about her spot on; she was curious.

The Doctor looked to his right, seeing a lovely looking flower shop. The building was a vibrant red and bouquets of various flowers stood in vases on a large windowsill. A small sign on the door read “Closed for lunch. Will open again at 1.” A mare inside the building walked up to the door, and caught the Doctor’s eye.

“Oh Paige, wait, is that a unicorn?” The Doctor noticed a small horn protruding from the mare’s head, just out past her bushy mane. It certainly looked like unicorns he had seen in fiction, but never in all his time in the universe had he seen a legitimate unicorn.

“Why, yes, that is a unicorn,” Paige replied, bringing her eyes to where the Doctor was looking.

The mare looked up at the sign on the door, and her horn began to glow. The Doctor stopped walking completely at this point, mesmerized. Soon after, the sign on the door grew the same aura around the mare’s horn, and began floating off of the door, without the mare lifting a hoof. “Well… now that’s incredible…” the Doctor went through all the physics in his mind, finding many things similar to that ability, but nothing that could exactly explain what he just saw.

“Yes, as I said, every type of pony has its advantages, but every now and then I do think it would be lovely to be a unicorn,” Paige said, letting her own thoughts wander. “Then again, I love my wings. I don’t think I’d ask for a change.”

“Is it possible to have both?”

“Let’s… not go to fast with all this explaining.”

The Doctor looked down as he heard his stomach grumble. He had likely been knocked out for at least eight hours. “How about some food then? That is, if you don’t mind paying… I feel terrible that I don’t have any money…”

Paige wasn’t going to let her curiosity about the Doctor stop just because she’d have to spend some extra bits. “Not a problem. Let’s eat.”

 

**

 

Paige set down the Doctor’s screwdriver on his side of the table they chose, then sat down outside a café with him. She shook her head. “I come across a pony that is clearly either mad or suffering massive memory loss, doesn’t even have a clue what pegasi or unicorns are, and now I’m buying him lunch,” she said, dumbfounded by the way her day progressed.

“Ponies sitting in chairs,” the Doctor chuckled under his breath, looking at other ponies so he could figure out how they sat in chairs in the first place. With a bit of fumbling, he copied what the other ponies did, and relaxed. “Do you know why you’re buying me lunch Paige?” he asked.

“Because I’m mad, too?” she replied, laughing.

“No, because you’re curious,” the Doctor said. “First the blue box, then me. You are just as confused by me as I am by you, and your curiosity has you wanting to know answers.”

“I guess you’re right,” Paige said, smiling. “As mad as you are, you don’t look dangerous.”

“Well that’s good, I don’t like looking dangerous,” the Doctor replied. “I wasn’t sure how I looked to others.”

“Have you never talked to anypony before? That would explain a lot of this actually.”

“Well, I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” The Doctor laughed. He glanced around at the other tables, seeing various salads and sandwiches. He assumed right away that he wouldn’t be getting any meat, these ponies had to be vegetarians. “So, what do ponies usually eat, anyways?”

“Well, we have a lot of fruits and vegetables, grain, flowers, sweets…” Paige paused to unfold the napkin in front of her when she noticed that the food she had ordered for the two of them was almost here. “I guess that’s it, really, though come on, you have to at least know what you like to eat, you’re clearly not starving.”

“I suppose you’re right, I do enjoy a good meal. Speaking of which, here’s lunch!”

A waiter brought over two plates on a cart, and used his teeth on the edge of each plate to set them on the table. Both plates held two slices of bread, with several flowers in between. The Doctor and Paige both thanked the waiter, then turned back to their food. The Doctor stared at his plate, a bit nervous. In all his travels across the universe, he had eaten some seriously strange items, but he always hesitated at new food.

“What is this?” the Doctor asked.

“Daisy sandwich,” Paige replied, leaning in and taking a bite.

“I’m not sure whether to be disgusted by the food or intrigued by the level of culture you ponies seem to have.” The Doctor bowed his head slowly, taking the smallest possible bite out of his sandwich. He jerked his head up, chewing slowly before swallowing. Joy suddenly appeared on his face. “Have flowers always tasted this good?”

“Yes, Paige said. “Yet another thing you seem to not know. You’re not allowed to say you enjoy a good meal if you’ve never made flowers a part of your diet.”

“I’m new to all this, as you have seen,” the Doctor replied. He leaned in to take another bite, but stopped, his eyes catching. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“The water in your glass just shook,” the Doctor said, looking at her glass.

“Are you sure you didn’t just bump the table a bit?”

“Yes… and now I hear something…” the Doctor looked around, his instincts taking over. Something was wrong, out of place, and the sense of danger in his head that had developed over all his travels was going off, telling him that something didn’t fit.

“Doctor, you’ve been confused ever since I met you,” Paige said. The Doctor ignored her, looking around, then stopped searching when he looked up. “I feel like your bump on the head has made you lose just about all your memory temporarily, and now it’s causing you to panic a bit.” Paige’s concern was growing, and she leaned in a bit on the table. “Everything is ok-“

“Paige…”

“I think you should just calm down and enjoy your sandwich.”

“Paige. Up. Sky. Look.”

Paige looked in the same direction the Doctor was, and gasped. Descending from the clouds was a large, circular ship, shaped like a fat disc. It was a dark grey, composed of some sort of metal. Paige slowly leaned back again, her jaw dropping. “That’s a… is that a…”

“That’s an alien ship…” the Doctor said, slowly getting out of his chair. Ponies in the street began looking up, and the scene around them slowly turned into one of chaos. Ponies running this way and that, everyone scrambling away from what they were doing, screams emitting from all the ponies that had taken notice. “And judging by the look of the weaponry on the bottom of that ship, I think it’s time to run.”

 

**

 

“Seriously Paige, time to run!” the Doctor yelled, grabbing his sonic screwdriver and taking off.

Paige didn’t hesitate any longer. The Doctor was the only one who was giving her any direction in this time of fear, so she just ran, not even thinking about it.

“Where are we going?” Paige shouted.

“We need somewhere safe, somewhere to stop and think,” the Doctor mumbled through his grip on his screwdriver.

“The library I work at! It’s not far!”

The Doctor let Paige take the lead, and both fought for breath as they ran through the streets of London. Paige made a sharp turn, and the Doctor stayed behind, both of them now headed straight for the library.

Ponies yet aware of the ship outside looked up as the library door swung open and smacked in to the wall, followed by the Doctor and Paige dashing inside. The two skidded to a halt in front of an empty table, and the Doctor spat his screwdriver out.

“Aliens…” Paige managed to get out as she caught her breath, both her and the Doctor heaving. “I mean… aliens! So it’s all real!”

“Yes, aliens, it’s all real, now we need to-“

“Shhh!”

The Doctor and Paige turned their heads, wide eyed. They found an angry looking librarian, shaking her head at the two of them. They froze for a moment, realizing that the screams outside weren’t coming through the walls of the building. No one around them knew what was going on. Very slowly, they turned back towards each other.

“We just got hushed by the librarian,” Paige said, now whispering. “There is a flying saucer outside, an actual flying saucer, and we just got hushed by the librarian!”

“Well, we were talking a bit loud,” the Doctor replied.

“Nopony in here has any idea, no idea that aliens are real, and you’re concerned that we were disturbing the quiet?”

“I love a good library. Well, not a dark one, but this one’s lovely.”

“What are we going to do?” Paige asked, her panic slowly growing.

“Right, aliens,” the Doctor said, getting his mind back on track. “Look Paige, if no one in here knows that there’s an alien ship out there yet, then that means it hasn’t started attacking, which would make a lot more noise based on the weapons I saw, which means we have a chance to do something. I’ve got no TARDIS, but I’ve got my sonic screwdriver. Can we get to the roof of this building?”

“Um… yes, but what are we going to do?”

“Just get us there; I think I saw the ship moving this way, and I have half a plan.”

“What’s half a plan?”

“It’s a plan that’s only halfway done; I’ll work out the rest later.” The Doctor picked up his sonic screwdriver again. “Come on,” he mumbled.

Paige quietly led the Doctor to a door off to the side in the library, which opened to a set of stairs. The pair began climbing, heading for the top as fast as they could.

The Doctor and Paige were greeted by sunlight once again when they reached the roof, and Paige froze in fear seeing the alien ship at eye level, only a short distance away from the roof. Most of the ship consisted of just parts, but the center definitely had room for a crew of at least four. The Doctor dropped his sonic screwdriver.

“I have no idea what it is, but this looks like just a scout ship. I know I wouldn’t want to work, eat and sleep in that small of a space,” the Doctor said.

“Doctor, is that thing going to shoot at us?”

“I don’t think so,” he replied. “I don’t think anyone in there is looking at us, they’d have made a movement by now.” The Doctor took a deep breath. “Alright, time to jump.”

“You’re going to get on board?!” Paige yelled.

“I need to see what they’re doing here, and if it’s bad, I’m going to stop them,” the Doctor said, turning to Paige. “Come with me if you like.”

“I can’t!” Paige replied. “I mean, those are aliens! They could kill you!”

“Yeah, they could.” The Doctor turned back to the ship, taking another deep breath. “I’m really getting tired of dropping and picking this thing up again,” he said as he bowed to get his sonic screwdriver.

Paige couldn’t describe what she felt now. Seeing this strange colt, this stranger out of nowhere, who seemed to know nothing about the ponies he was about to try and protect, act with such bravery… that was almost more amazing to her than the alien ship. This wasn’t any ordinary pony, or any ordinary circumstances. And despite the risk involved, Paige couldn’t help but think about how she’d never have a chance to do something like this again.

“I… I’m coming with you!”

“Curiosity!” the Doctor shouted, having to mumble again. “Makes everything more fun. Alright, jump!” The Doctor began running towards the edge of the roof, ready to jump on to the ship.

“Wait!” Paige shouted, trying to catch up to him.

The Doctor leapt, jumping in to the air with as much strength as he could muster. His eyes looked towards the ship, and he gasped in fear. He wasn’t going to make it.

“Umf!” The Doctor grunted as his chest hit the ship, and he used all the muscle strength he had to keep himself from falling.  _I would love some fingers right about now,_  he thought, struggling to apply enough pressure with his hooves to hang on.

“Doctor!” He heard Paige shout from behind him, and dearly hoped that she wouldn’t fall. However, rather than see Paige land in front of her or hear her plummet, the Doctor became confused, feeling his body get lifted on to the ship.

“What?” the Doctor said, forgetting for a moment that he held his sonic screwdriver and quickly biting down again. He suddenly found his entire body safe on the ship’s outer hull.

Paige landed in front of the Doctor, looking down at him. “I’ve got wings, remember?” she said. “I could have carried you.”

The Doctor coughed, rising to sit on his butt and spitting the sonic screwdriver in to his front hooves. “That… is… brilliant!” he panted, beaming again.

“I guess it is,” Paige replied, unable to stop herself from laughing a bit.

“So Paige, still curious?”

“I’m terrified,” Paige began, shaking her head. “I am bloody terrified, and 5 minutes ago I was considering taking you to a hospital. But I’m the second pony to ever set hoof on an alien spaceship, and that’s… I don’t even know how that feels!”

“Oh, it’s even better actually, you’re the  _first_  pony to be on an alien spaceship.”

“What?”

A panel opened on the center section of a spaceship. Nothing came out, but noises could be heard from inside.

Paige turned. “They’re just going to let us in?”

“Well, if they’re smart then they’ll have noticed that no one on this planet knows alien life exists yet,” the Doctor said. “So I think they want to know who decided to just jump on to their ship. Can you hold this?” the Doctor held up the sonic screwdriver.

“Sure.” Paige flapped her wings to begin hovering in the air, and grabbed the sonic screwdriver with her front hooves.

The Doctor stared at Paige, not even sure how it was physically possible for a pony to fly. “That is brilliant,” he repeated, grinning. “Now, stay behind me, and be careful. Let’s go inside.”

The Doctor stood up, taking the lead as he headed for the open panel. Paige put the sonic screwdriver in her mouth so she could fold her wings and fit through. Trying to ignore the fear in the back of her mind, she followed.

Landing inside, the Doctor looked up, seeing five figures staring at them. The aliens were all green, and their skin appeared somewhat gelatinous. They wore black vests, and appeared pony like in body shape.

“Alien ponies,” the Doctor said. “Is it my birthday?”

“Ish neka dal?” One of the aliens asked.

“Oh right, TARDIS is regenerating, no translation,” the Doctor said softly, sighing. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak… alienponyinaparalleluniverse…ian.”

Paige then entered behind the Doctor, putting the sonic screwdriver in her mouth so she could walk on her hooves, and found herself with the same frozen expression as when she had first set eyes on the ship. She could barely believe that what was in front of her was real.

“Ish neka dal?” the alien said again, sounding more demanding.

“I really can’t answer you unless you can start speaking English, or Gallifreyan, or even horse, that would do,” the Doctor replied. The alien that had spoken turned to the one next to him, and nodded. The second alien pressed a button, and with a flash of light the Doctor and Paige found themselves somewhere new.

“Basic teleport,” the Doctor said, reorienting himself. “That’s interesting.”

The sonic screwdriver fell out of Paige’s mouth as her jaw dropped. “We’ve moved.”

“Yes.”

“We’ve actually moved.”

“Yes.”

“Where are we?” Paige’s voice trembled.

The Doctor looked about a bit. “I said that ship looked really small. We got teleported to the big one.”


	3. The Transformation, Part 3

The Doctor and Paige stood in a large room, the bridge of the mother ship to the scout below. Some of the aliens worked next to monitors, and some were staring at the two new arrivals on the ship. One pony at the front of the bridge wore a different color vest, a bright blue, and the Doctor assumed that this alien had to be the captain.

“Paige, don’t move.” The Doctor tried to bow his head quickly, wanting to grab a hold of his sonic screwdriver.

“Do not pick up the device.”

The Doctor stopped when he recognized English, and cautiously raised his head again, leaving the screwdriver where it was. When he looked at the alien in the blue vest, he noticed a small device near the neck that looked like a speaker of some sort.

“Identify yourselves,” the alien said. The audio was not coming out of the alien’s mouth; it was coming from the speaker.

“Doctor,” Paige said. “His mouth doesn’t match what he’s saying. How is he doing that?”

“Ah, basic translator box,” the Doctor said. “At least I can still recognize some technology in this universe. He talks quietly, and the box emits audio of whatever language it needs to translate to. The scout ship must not have had enough resources, but this ship has the technology to scan your language.”

“Wait, Doctor, if all we saw was… the scout, where is this ship?”

“In space.”

“Oh.”

“Enough,” the alien said, stopping the conversation. “Identify yourselves.”

“I’m the Doctor and this is Paige,” the Doctor replied. “And who are we speaking to?”

“I am captain of this vessel,” the captain said. “Now explain why you jumped on to my scout ship.”

“Oh, that’s just me, I tend to jump on things, I’m a bit of a jumper, but you’ve got some explaining to do as well.” The Doctor took a few steps forward. “Because I’m sure if you have a translator box, and basic teleport technology, you could do enough scanning to figure out this planet has no idea that alien life even exists, and making every one scared for their lives by sending a flying disc around isn’t a nice first contact story. So I’m going to ask questions now, why are you here?”

The captain grumbled, disturbed by the amount of knowledge the pony in front of him seemed to have. “As our ship was flying through this system, we detected a massive power fluctuation. There is some sort of power source on this planet that is incredibly high. We want to acquire it.”

“Oh, right, sorry, that was probably my ship falling out of its own universe…” the Doctor replied, rubbing the back of his head with a front hoof.

“We traced the source to the region our scout ship landed; we will find the power source and take it,” the captain explained. “We are ready to burn this planet to find it.”

“Oh, come on, burn the planet for a power source?” the Doctor asked, dumbfounded. He took a few steps back, getting next to Paige again. “You’d kill all the ponies on this planet for one power source? This ship seems to have plenty of power, why do you need to kill?”

“Our planet has fallen to chaos,” the captain told the Doctor. “We have been devastated, and we are barely surviving. This used to be one of our finest ships; now we are scavengers.”

“Look,” the Doctor began, a solemn expression on his face. “I’m sorry about whatever happened to your world, but wiping out an entire species is not the solution,” he continued. “And if you try to do that, I’ll have to stop you.”

“Oh really, Doctor?” the captain replied. “Because you’re stuck here, and I’m about to give the order to teleport down seven dozen of my troops.” The captain nodded at one of the aliens, and the other pushed a button on a consol. A short alarm sounded, and the lights on the bridge flickered for a moment. “There, that’s seven dozen of my troops on the planet below. Now, how do you intend to stop me?”

“Funny thing is, a sonic screwdriver only has one button.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just one button,” the Doctor said again. “Most of the time all I have to do is press and think.” The Doctor paused and turned to Paige, giving her a warm smile. She was far too scared to move or say a word, but a hint of a smile back appeared on her face. “And I’ll tell you something else,” he said, still speaking to the captain. “I’ve been teleported a lot of times, in a lot of different time periods, I know how it feels. And your teleport felt pretty basic.” He paused again. “Now back to my sonic screwdriver, if there’s just one button, and all I need is to press and think, then I don’t need hands.” The Doctor sat down, glad to have thoroughly confused the captain. “All I need is a hoof.” The Doctor stepped down on his sonic screwdriver, and it activated.

The lights flickered on the bridge again, and the captain looked up. “What have you done?”

“Basic teleport technology means basic to reverse,” the Doctor added to his explanation. “The lights flickering is seven dozen troops back on the ship, very confused about what just happened.” He picked up his sonic screwdriver in between his front hooves. “Oh, and here’s using my screwdriver to teleport us.” The Doctor pressed down on his screwdriver again, and in a flash of light, he and Paige disappeared.

 

**

 

Paige shook her head, dazed from the teleport, then frantically looked around, finding herself still on the ship, but in a new place, some sort of corridor. Looking a bit more she saw the Doctor sitting in front of a monitor, using his front hooves to work his sonic screwdriver.

“What’s going on?” Paige asked, dashing to the Doctor’s side. “I thought when you did the thing and teleported us, we’d be back on Earth.”

“I reversed the teleport, but they could just go back down again, the planet’s not safe yet,” the Doctor said.

“Doctor…” Paige paused. “All those things you said, knowing about teleports, talking about his planet, different time periods…”

“There’s no time to explain now, it won’t take long for the captain to figure out we didn’t leave his ship. All I could do was guess on where to have the teleport send us, this would be a lot easier if I knew the language of these aliens,” the Doctor said. “With a bit more fiddling, this monitor should tell us how close we are to the engineering section; that’s where we need to go. Ah ha!” A new diagram appeared on the monitor. “We’re not far, I think we go left-“

“Seltum pasha!”

The Doctor flipped his head to the right, seeing three of the aliens on the other end of the corridor. Attached to their vests were pistol shaped objects, pointed right at him and Paige.

“I’m fumbling around with hooves and they can attach guns to their vests?” the Doctor said, his shoulders drooping. “That’s not fair.”

One of The lasers fired, and a laser blast zipped towards the Doctor and Paige, leaving a burn mark on the wall. Paige screamed, and the Doctor jumped to his hooves.

“Well, left is our only option now, come on!” Paige turned and ran, and the Doctor kicked his sonic screwdriver a good distance ahead of him, beginning to run as well and snatching his screwdriver with his mouth on the way.

Laser blasts zoomed around the pair’s heads, the aliens in close pursuit. The Doctor led Paige, darting around corner after corner.

“Keep going!” the Doctor shouted, slowly forcing the aliens to lose ground with clever sharp turns. Paige didn’t miss a beat, flying behind the Doctor as he sprinted.

As the two turned down a longer hallway, they saw a door on the left side. The Doctor didn’t think twice, and skidded to a halt in front of it, causing Paige to nearly stumble into him. He examined the pad next to the door, placed his hoof on it, and the door slid open. He jumped in, and just before the aliens came around the corner, Paige jumped in as well.

The door slid shut, and the sound of hooves galloping by came from outside the door. The Doctor and Paige were in darkness, the Doctor’s hoof over Paige’s mouth. When silence fell outside the door, the Doctor relaxed, and released Paige.

“Didn’t know if that would work,” the Doctor whispered. “But we lost them for now.”

Paige collapsed, her adrenaline fading as her mind got a chance to process the entire situation. “This is… too much…” Paige said, placing her front hooves on her temples.

“Paige, listen to me,” the Doctor replied. He brought up Paige’s chin with a hoof. “I’m going to get you out of here. You have my word. But your entire planet could be lost if we don’t stop these aliens first. We need to get to an engineering room, sabotage their energy systems, and then everyone is safe.”

“But all this… aliens… teleporting without magic… space travel… I’ve gone my whole life just reading about these things in stories. Now they’re real, all around me. How am I supposed to help?”

“Curiosity, Paige,” the Doctor said. “That’s what you have, curiosity and a good heart. You knew that a lot of ponies could get hurt if we didn’t stop these aliens, even if you didn’t realize you were thinking about it. That was your heart. And your curiosity… well, that’s what led you to me in the first place.” Paige sat up a bit more, listening. “I’m curious, and that’s why I do what I do. See new things. Talk to new people. Help people. You get to satisfy your curiosity and fuel your good heart at the same time. How about that?”

Paige slowed her breathing, the Doctor’s words calming her down. “As scared as I am… just like when I jumped to catch you… I couldn’t help but want to see more.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, let’s see where we are. Maybe this is engineer-“

The Doctor fumbled around until his hoof found another panel on the wall, and lights blinked on in the room. The two were in some sort of supply room, and shelves surrounded them. All the shelves held jars of a green, jello-like substance.

“You know, some things I’m not curious about.”

“Agreed.”

The Doctor opened the door to the hall they had run through, and checked both ways for aliens. He waved for Paige to follow, and Paige picked up the sonic screwdriver with her front hooves again, slowly flying behind the Doctor.

“I didn’t get the chance to finish seeing where engineering was, so we’re going to have to wander and guess,” the Doctor said, keeping his voice low.

“What if they find us again?” Paige asked.

“Likely, but we’ve outrun them before, we can do it again.”

The pair ceased their conversation, letting their ears adjust to the sounds of the ship, listening carefully for any changes. They lost themselves in the halls of the ship, finding more supply rooms with stranger items and many rooms that were locked. The Doctor assumed these were personal living quarters. With luck, the two came across another monitor, and the Doctor signaled for his sonic screwdriver. He sat down in front of the monitor like before, and having tried this previously, got to what he was looking for much quicker.

“I don’t understand a single word of their language, but I think I’ve got it,” the Doctor whispered. “Engineering is-“

“Doctor!”

The Doctor looked up when Paige whispered urgently, and then heard the hoof steps. The pair jumped around a corner, and two crew members came down the hall, walking slowly. Paige held her breath, and the Doctor kept his screwdriver at the ready. After several more seconds, the crew members walked past the corner they had ducked around, and continued moving straight.

Paige let out a sigh of relief, and the Doctor returned to the monitor. “This ship has multiple engineering bays, all relatively small. We’re pretty close to the one we need, which is their energy systems. Follow me.”

Now with a sense of direction, the Doctor navigated the halls with newfound confidence, ignoring random doors they passed by instead of checking each and every one. After several minutes, the hall they turned into began to widen, leading to a larger door. The Doctor pointed silently, and approached the door with Paige. Paige placed her hoof on the panel, the Doctor checked inside, and with one last look behind them, they entered and the door slid shut.

“No one in here, perfect,” the Doctor said, raising his voice now. “Everyone’s busy trying to invade a planet. Too bad for them.”

“What do we do?” Paige asked.

“First of all, we find a way to lock this door,” the Doctor replied. The panel to open the door from the inside had two smaller scanners underneath the main one. One panel was green and the other red. “Red, the universe’s way of saying stop,” the Doctor said, pressing the red button. He heard a noticeable click from the door, and when he pressed the main panel, nothing happened. “Perfect. Now we break things.”

 

**

 

The captain of the ship had switched off his translator, allowing himself to converse with his crew once more.

“I better stop hearing the words ‘they’re lost’. Find them!”

“Captain, I’ve got something!” a crew member shouted. “Engineering bay 5 just locked. There’s no scheduled maintenance.”

“Get crew down there now and kill them both!”

**

 

“Paige, keep an eye on the door,” the Doctor said, taking his sonic screwdriver from her. “I need to do some work.”

Paige nodded, and stayed by the door while the Doctor ran to the other side of the room. The engineering room was small; only two or three crew members would be comfortable working in here at the same time. Paige stood on a raised step by the door, observing the Doctor as he crawled under several large, white tubes that glowed and hummed. The rest of the room was filled with button covered panels.

“Ah, we are in the right place!” the Doctor exclaimed. “And I even recognize most of the technology here. Luckily, I haven’t gone to a parallel universe so distant that physics have changed.”

The gears in Paige’s head turned as she processed everything the Doctor had said since she met him. She kept coming up with excuses, forcing herself to not belief what her thinking mind tried to prove.

“How long will it take Doctor?” Paige asked.

“Not long, I’m not destroying their energy systems completely,” the Doctor replied as his sonic screwdriver began to buzz. “I’m making it so that they’d be completely out of energy if they continued this assault, and would have no means of getting home.”

Paige jumped when several loud bangs came from outside the door. “They’re here!” Paige yelled, staring at the door, having no idea what to do.

“They’re using similar technology to a species I know, which means there’s no way to unlock that door from the outside! It’s a safety measure in case something harmful to living creatures explodes in here. The door can be locked without any means to open it.”

The bangs on the door were replaced with the sound of a blast. “Doctor, could they shoot through the door?”

“…well, perhaps there’d be one way to open it.”

The Doctor sped up his work, lights beginning to flicker around them. “Almost there, Paige, back away from the door!” Paige kept her eyes on the door, backing up towards the Doctor’s location.

“I can see the burn mark on the door, Doctor! Hurry!”

“Just… about…”

The door blew apart, pieces of it landing all over the floor. Several crew members, all with the same weapon vests from before, stood outside. Paige leapt to the side as a burn mark etched into the wall where her head just was. The Doctor rolled out from underneath the tubing, biting on his screwdriver and scrambling to his hooves. He stood up on his hind legs, putting his front hooves up in the air, hoping this was a sign of surrender.

Paige did the same, and the weapons lowered. One of the aliens stepped closer, and pantomimed spitting out something, telling the Doctor to release his sonic screwdriver. The Doctor took a deep breath, staying as he was. The alien acted out spitting again, this time arming his weapon at the same time. The Doctor bit on his sonic screwdriver, and he and Paige blinked away.

 

**

 

Surprised, the captain spun around when he heard the sound of a teleport. He clicked on his translator again. “You have destroyed us, Doctor!”

“No, I’ve only partially destroyed you,” the Doctor replied. “I left you just enough power and engineering systems to get a good distance away from this planet and call for help. I say a good distance,” the Doctor paused, this time walking right up to the captain. “Because if I ever find you near this planet again, I won’t give you a chance to run away. If you try to kill us before we leave the ship, I guarantee I can cripple you first.” He glared straight in to the captain’s eyes, and the captain glared back. With a grunt, the captain nodded at a crewmate, and the staff on the bridge began to set a course away from the planet.

“The scout ship will return now,” the captain said as he turned from the Doctor. He used a hoof to hold the translator box away from his neck, giving an order in his own language to a crewmate. He turned back to the Doctor, his face full of anger. “You have left me no choice.”

“Good,” the Doctor replied, stepping back. “Remember me the next time you want to kill just to acquire a power source.” He began to raise his voice. “Even if some of you don’t have translator boxes on right now, ask the one next to you what I’m saying, because I’m going to speak to all of you. Remember this day. Remember that killing will not get you anywhere. Remember, that even when you’re lost, stranded, confused…” the Doctor turned to Paige, who looked up at him in return. Her eyes glistened, and the Doctor grinned, nodding at her. “All it takes is reaching out to a friend for help.” Paige blushed, turning her head.

The Doctor walked back to Paige, sliding his sonic screwdriver underneath his front hoof. “So, alien ponies that I didn’t learn the name of, it would be a bit awkward to ask now, seeing that I just wrecked part of your ship,” the Doctor shrugged. “Instead of being all high and mighty and kill to survive, get out there, and just ask. You’d be surprised.”

“I don’t think you understand the nature of what has happened on our planet, Doctor. We are far beyond desperate,” the captain said, his face still full of anger.

“No, I don’t,” the Doctor replied. “But there’s always a choice, captain.” With that, the Doctor stepped down on his sonic screwdriver, and teleported Paige and himself off the ship.

The captain inhaled deeply, preventing himself from screaming in rage. He turned off the translator box, and began speaking in his own language to his crew.

“How many could we teleport down and still have enough power to get in communication range with our sister ship?” he asked.

“It’s very risky sir…” a crew member replied. “I wouldn’t send down more than one, especially since we need a round trip teleport.”

“Then send just one down,” the captain replied. “The female seems to be less aware. Follow her, and kill that Doctor.”

“Understood, sir.”

 

**

 

“We’re back on Earth.”

“Yes.”

“And we’re in London.”

“Yes.”

“And we’re right next to your blue box.”

“It’s called the TARDIS, and yes. That really was a basic level teleport, very easy to use via sonic screwdiver.”

Paige leaned against the TARDIS, letting out a sigh as she looked around. “Everypony is safe because of you,” she said.

The Doctor nodded. “Don’t count yourself out, you helped quite a bit.”

Paige looked at the Doctor, realizing that this was the first time she was really looking at him. “So, let me get a few things straight in my head Doctor. You’re not actually a pony.”

“No.”

“You’re an alien from… what did you call it… a parallel universe?”

“Yes, this entire universe is new to me.”

“You didn’t used to look like a pony, but for some reason when you crashed here, now you do.”

“One of my unanswered questions.”

“Do you travel to whole other universes often?”

“Usually it’s impossible, but sometimes it works, and when it works that means that something bad is happening. Another unanswered question.”

“So, what do you normally do?”

“I travel in the TARDIS, through space and time.”

“Through space and… hold on, that’s a time machine too?” Paige’s eyes widened.

“Yes it is,” the Doctor replied.

“It looked like it could barely do anything.”

“I told you, it’s normally a lot nicer, and she’s been busy while we were away. I don’t even know what’s in store for us behind those doors. Want to take a look?”

Paige was at a loss for words yet again. She had no clue how the box could get any better without them being there, but then again, a lot had happened today that she couldn’t explain. “Yes,” was all she needed to say.

“That’s what I was hoping for.” The Doctor grinned, and walked in front of the TARDIS doors, pushing one open. “You first.”

Paige nervously rounded the side of the TARDIS, turning to face the now open door. Her eyes filled with wonder, and she tried her best to take everything in at once. The Doctor soon followed, wanting to see his new TARDIS.

There were no more scraps of metal, or sparks shooting. The walls of the control room were a brilliant gold, and shined perfectly. Gallifreyan text was engraved all over the walls, adding to the luster. The consol was now lower down, and the center of the TARDIS glowed brilliantly once more, ready for travel.

“Look at that,” the Doctor said, moving to the console. “You made it shorter for me, old girl, you’re brilliant,” he told the TARDIS. “And look! Hoof sized buttons!” The Doctor began running around the console, looking at every little detail. “Oh, I can’t wait.”

“Doctor, this is…” Paige desperately tried once again to formulate a sentence.

“This is the TARDIS, it’s a living time machine, and you’re invited on board,” the Doctor said.

“I’m… what?” Paige stared at the Doctor.

“You’re curious, you’re brave, and I love that,” the Doctor said. “You’re brilliant, and as much as you love books, working in a library must get awful boring at times. So, how about it, all of time and space, past, present and future. Have I spiked your curiosity?”

Paige bowed her head, a million thoughts swirling around at once. “I… I don’t know what to say. I mean, I wouldn’t be leaving much behind, you’re right…”

“But before I ask you again, you must understand it can be dangerous,” the Doctor said, speaking seriously again. “Today was just the beginning, there’s a whole universe teeming with life out there, more than that, I’m not from this universe, so I have no idea what could be out there. I am yet to see anything this universe has to offer-“

“You’re smiling wider the more you talk,” Paige said, giggling.

“Sorry,” the Doctor replied. “The more I think about it, it’s rather exciting. There’s so much here that’s brand new, and believe me, absolutely one hundred percent brand new can be difficult when you have the ability to travel through all of space and time.”

Paige paused again, then looked back at the Doctor. “I’ve never been more frightened in my life than today, but today has been more amazing than any other. I understand that it will be dangerous, but I think you need someone to catch you when you decide to jump onto a spaceship.”

The Doctor grinned. “I have to figure out how I became a pony, how the TARDIS still functions in this universe, and how to get back to my own universe,” he explained. “Those are some big questions, and my curiosity is piqued. How about yours?”

At last, Paige beamed. “Let me get a couple things? I’ll be back quick as I can, remember I can fly.”

“I’ll wait right here.”

Paige jumped slightly with glee, dashing out of the TARDIS quick as she could. The Doctor leaned on the console, quite content with his current circumstances. He turned, beginning to navigate the new console, pressing some buttons and preparing the new TARDIS for her first flight. Ten or so minutes passed, and the Doctor heard a knock on the door. “Come in!” he shouted, glad to see Paige again with a wide grin on her face.

“I brought a bag of mine and some books,” Paige said. The Doctor froze, his eyes locked on Paige. “I figured since I can carry this bag and still fly, we can put your screwdriver thing in it.” Paige noticed the Doctor’s look. “Doctor, are you alright?”

Behind Paige was the open TARDIS door, and outside the open door was one of the aliens, a gun at the ready.

“No!”

The Doctor bolted across the room, the alien charged the gun, the Doctor pushed Paige out of harm’s way, the alien fired.

The blast hit the Doctor.

With a yell of pain, the Doctor collapsed to the floor. The alien smirked, and teleported away, gone for good.

“Doctor!” Paige screamed, only just able to have seen what happened. She flew and slammed the TARDIS door shut, then landed at the Doctor’s side, rolling him on to his back.

“Paige…” the Doctor coughed, just barely opening his eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice weak.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Paige said, her voice hasty. “What about you?”

“Not… so good…” the Doctor forced his eyes to focus on Paige’s face, and he used all his strength to smile. “Paige… I’m sorry…”

“You just saved everypony on this planet, and then you saved my life, there’s nothing to be sorry about.” A tear filled Paige’s eye, and slowly ran down her face.

“No… I’m sorry that I got you all excited… about all the travel…” the Doctor replied, his voice getting fainter as he spoke.

“Don’t be,” Paige said, fighting to hold back her tears. She sat down, pulling the Doctor’s head in to her lap. “You showed me so much… the world will look so different to me now…” the sobs began to come, and Paige leaned down, hugging the Doctor tightly. “You showed me so much, and now you’re dying!” Her tears grew in volume, and there was no more holding back.

“The curious girl… thank you, Paige…” the Doctor’s went silent, and his eyes closed.

Paige leaned up again, her crying slowing down. The room was silent except for the soft hum of the TARDIS console. “Doctor?” Paige whispered, sniffling. “Doctor, are you still here?”

A gold aura began to surround the Doctor’s hooves. His eyes opened again, and he looked down. “Oh, that still works when I’m a pony?” he said. “Ok, this is going to be very interesting…”

“Doctor, what’s happening to you?” Paige asked.

“Paige, forget everything I just said, and get back,” the Doctor replied, his voice returning to normal.

“What?”

“You and I are still going to travel together, but I need you to get back.”

The Doctor jumped on to his hooves, making Paige fall back and gasp in surprise. The gold aura surrounded more and more of the Doctor’s body. Paige rose to her hooves and backed up, surprised, confused, and scared.

“Doctor, what’s happening to you?”

“Paige, if I’m about to die, there’s this thing that happens to my body,” the Doctor explained. “I didn’t think it would work because I got turned in to a pony, but it turns out I still have some of me left, and now the thing is about to happen.”

“What’s going to happen to you? Why are you glowing?”

“Just stay back Paige,” the Doctor instructed. “This is going to be a bit strange-“

“Stranger than what I’ve already seen today?”

The Doctor paused, a puzzled look on his face. “Well when you put it that way, not-“

No more words escaped the Doctor’s mouth before the process began. The Doctor was forced to his hind hooves as regeneration energy shot out from every limb of his body. His tail grew shorter, and became more jagged and pointy in places. His mane did the same, shortening and assuming a similar style to the tail, becoming slightly spiked, the spikes pointed away from the Doctor’s face. Something, a shape, an image, formed on the Doctor’s flanks.

The aura subsided, the Doctor’s front hooves landed on the floor with a thump, and his now dark blue eyes were wide. He was no longer the white pony with the yellow mane. “Ok, that was interesting.”

“What…”

The Doctor looked across the room, seeing Paige. “Paige, hello!” he shouted, beaming. He tried to run towards her but cringed and stopped. “Ooh, still cooking, best not run,” he groaned, halting.

“Doctor… what?”

“Paige! I need to ask you something.” The Doctor walked towards Paige, who backed up a few steps, not sure what to think. “My mane and tail, are they ginger? A sort of reddish color.”

Since Paige had no idea what just happened, all she could think to do was answer the Doctor’s question. “No… it’s sort of a dark brown…”

“Aww, that would have been awesome!” the Doctor said, sighing. “A ginger pony, now that would have been a good one. Wait, did I just say awesome? I don’t say awesome now, do I? No, no, I’m never saying awesome again, that’s a terrible word. Brilliant, still works.”

“Doctor, what just-“

“So, I’m still a pony, eh?” the Doctor raised a front hoof, examining it. “Oh, kind of a light brown, that should go nicely with my mane then.” The Doctor shook his entire body, then stopped. “Four hooves. Good.” He raised a front hoof again, running it along the back of his neck. “I’ve got a mane…” the Doctor planted his hoof on the ground again, then turned his head, stretching to look behind him. “And a tail, lovely- oh! What’s that?” The Doctor looked again at his rear, seeing something new. “Well look at that, I’ve got a cutie mark now!” he exclaimed, jumping a bit out of joy. “An hourglass… I guess that’s fitting enough, and it’s also a little brownish, I’ve got kind of a brown theme going on, are my eyes brown?” the Doctor walked up to the TARDIS consol, looking in to a monitor to get a faint reflection of himself. “Oh, blue, alright, but that still looks nice, accents all the brown...”

“Doctor! What in the world just happened?” Paige was still standing in the same place, no clue what to say or do after what just took place.

“Paige! Sorry, I’ve been rambling,” the Doctor said, looking at Paige as he began to manipulate some of the TARDIS controls. “We were just about to go on an adventure through space and time, weren’t we?”


	4. Sonic Thief

Paige was frozen yet again by her immense confusion towards the Doctor. "Doctor... can you explain..."

"If I'm about to die, my body has a way of repairing itself," the Doctor started. "As a result, my whole body changes. I'm still me, but I've got a new personality, new body, almost an entirely new person! Well, pony."

"You are... the most impossible pony I have ever met," Paige said, shaking her head.

"I know," the Doctor replied, giving Paige a cheeky grin. "Now, question is, where to go first..."

"Is there a limit to how many times you can... die? Can you die at all?" Paige asked.

"If I'm killed before I can regenerate, I can die, and some things can stop me from regenerating," the Doctor explained. "As for the number of times, well, it's complicated, a lot of stuff happened, and that stuff caused things, and it would take me a couple of years to fully explain my regeneration energy... so for now, let's say I can die, but I can also regenerate, and leave it at that." The Doctor fiddled with some of the new buttons on the console, preparing the TARDIS for travel.

"What does... it feel like?" Paige asked, still curious about the whole process.

The Doctor frowned for a moment. "Sort of like dying," he explained. "Like I said, I'm still me, I don't forget who I am or who I was, but I lose a lot that I like. After the change, I take a liking to the new me after a while though, in the end it’s not so bad. For example, look at all this brown! Who knew that brown was such a good color. Almost have it..." He pulled a lever, just about ready to move the TARDIS.

Paige paused. "That's quite a lot to take in..." she said.

"Oh, you'll never get done taking it all in, I haven't," the Doctor replied with a grin. "I'm the Doctor, I'm 1400 years old, and there's still more to see. Brand new universe!" He jumped with excitement. "But first, let's jump a few thousand years into the future and make a pit stop. Carrying around my sonic screwdriver like we had to for the alien ponies was rubbish, let's see what future technology in this universe has in store for us. Ready, curious Paige?"

After desperately trying to grasp everything before her eyes for a few moments, Paige realized it was better to sort things out in her head later, for now it was time to explore, the exact reason she accepted the Doctor’s invitation in the first place. "Ready as I'll ever be, impossible Doctor," she said, finally smiling.

"I like that. Curious Paige, impossible Doctor," the Doctor said. "I love impossible. Impossible just means challenging." He turned a large dial, then placed his hoof on a different lever. "And... we're off!"

Paige nearly lost balance as the TARDIS began to emit the sound known across thousands of galaxies. Paige and the Doctor entered the time vortex, prepared for a brand new adventure.

 

**

 

Hensley walked quickly through the halls of Canterlot castle, passing through the royal guard checkpoints one by one. At last, he stepped into the royal meeting room, where another stallion was already awaiting him.

"Hensley," Shining Armor, captain of Celestia's royal guard, greeted the stallion in front of him.

"Hello captain," Hensley replied.

"Tell me about what happened in Southern London today."

 

**

 

"Aaaand... we're here!" The Doctor beamed as the TARDIS slowed to a stop.

"So the box moved? I just time traveled?" Paige asked, letting go of the railing she had used for balance.

"You've done more than that. Go open the TARDIS door." The Doctor motioned forward, anxious to see even the most simple of sights contained in a universe he'd never laid eyes on.

Paige looked towards the door, and slowly approached it. She pushed open the door, then jumped back in surprise.

"We're... in space!" Paige shouted, cautiously stepping towards the door again. "But... I can breathe..."

"I've extended the air around the TARDIS," the Doctor said, walking up next to Paige. "The brilliant part is, I have no idea where things are in this universe, but I know how far we've gone. This is about three thousand light years away from your planet."

Paige blinked. "So these are different stars..."

"Same stars, different view, and if the TARDIS is correct in its surprising adaptability to traveling here, then your planet is... that way." The Doctor pointed with a hoof off to the right.

"That's... incredible... just wonderful!" Paige's smile grew wide as she gazed at the stars, being careful not to step out of the door.

"Yes..." the Doctor gazed out as well, his eyes full of just as much wonder. Everything that surrounded the TARDIS was unexplored, untouched, uncharted for him.

"Hold on, this is a time machine as well, as you said," Paige started. "Did we travel through time?"

"I was just about to get to that, yes," the Doctor replied, returning to the console. "We're a couple thousand years in the future, give or take a few, and I need to scan for any open transmissions bouncing about the area." The Doctor walked to the monitor, hitting a few buttons as the monitor blinked on. "Like I said, hooves are rubbish for getting my sonic screwdriver around. I want to see if I can find a good substitute. Maybe one of those vests, although clothing has never felt so pointless given I've been naked for six hours. Do ponies wear clothing, Paige?"

"Typically only on formal occasions," Paige said. "Do you?"

"Well, before I was a pony, not wearing clothes would be a bit awkward," the Doctor replied. "Ah! Now there's something interesting, all sorts of open transmissions coming from a planet not too far away, looks like a large portion of the land there is used as a trading post."

"Are we going to go there?" Paige asked, closing the TARDIS door. Her nervousness and excitement both began to grow. "Am I going to walk on an alien planet?"

"Do you want to walk on an alien planet?"

"I came with you, didn't I?" Paige giggled.

"Then let's satisfy some of that curiosity. Off we go!"

The TARDIS whirled once again, traveling across the stars to the nearby planet. In a back alley of a city street, the blue box began to appear, and two excited ponies stepped out.

"It feels like we never move in that box," Paige said, turning for the main street. "But we moved again! I'm actually walking on an alien planet!"

"Yes you are, and look at this!" the Doctor approached the main road as well, discovering a plethora of shops, stores, and street vendors. Multiple species walked about, conversing with each other and making deals. "This is just perfect."

"Aliens..." Paige took a deep breath. "These aren't even close to looking like ponies, this is..."

"Life never before seen," the Doctor finished, grinning at Paige. A few blue aliens, covered in scales, walked past. "Ah, species with feet and hands. Something familiar."

"Is that what you used to look like?" Paige asked.

"No no, I wasn't that... blue, or scaly, but that's why I'm having trouble with my sonic screwdriver. I used to have fingers."

"Kind of like how griffons and dragons have claws?"

"Griffons and what? Dragons?" The Doctor stared at Paige. "Are you saying that there are griffons and dragons on your world?"

"There aren't that many dragons, but there's an entire kingdom of griffons," Paige replied with a chuckle.

"You know Paige, I think your world alone has enough wonder to it. When we're done with this pit stop, I think I need to meet some griffons."

"I've always wanted to go to the griffon kingdom," Paige and the Doctor began to walk through the street, examining vendors’ merchandise. "It wouldn't be space and new planets and aliens, but it would be an adventure."

The pair continued along, every little detail of the street an unexplored wonder. Paige looked all around, absorbing everything she could. Aliens with heads that looked like fish offering fine jewelry. A yellow, furry, three legged creature offering free samples of tea. Aliens the size of bunnies playing music on miniature instruments that she didn't recognize.

"Hold on Doctor, all the aliens are speaking English," Paige said. "Have they all got one of those translator box things?"

"Actually, they're not speaking English, and neither are you," the Doctor said.

"But, that's what I hear, and I don't speak any alien languages," Paige said. "How does that work?"

"We got lucky with the aliens on your world," the Doctor began. "But now we don't need that. With the TARDIS fixed, the translation matrix is working. It can translate any language."

"That's so much better than a translation box," Paige replied, letting out a breath of amazement.

"My box is the best box," the Doctor said with a smile.

Down the street, a cloaked figure could be seen running towards where the Doctor and Paige were. The figure was about the same size as them, and traveling quite swiftly.

Paige happened to notice the figure when she turned her head from a street vendor. She squinted, observing the running figure, and just managed to see hooves from underneath the cloak. "Doctor, I think that's a pony!" Paige said.

The Doctor looked to his left, his eyes meeting the same running figure. "Well that's brilliant! Look at that, Paige, the pony race eventually takes off in to the stars, meeting new species and finding new planets, just like you are right now."

"Let's talk to whoever that is," Paige decided. "A pony from the future... I'd love to hear what happens!"

"Just don't tell a bunch of people about what the pony says," the Doctor told Paige. "Have to be careful with time travel." He began waving at the pony headed for them. "Hello there!"

As the pony approached, Paige and the Doctor could see that it was a colt. His coat was a light grey, and a red mane bounced on his head. Beneath the cloak was a small bag, hanging from the colt's neck.

The colt's speed slowed as he approached Paige and the Doctor. "You're ponies," he said simply. His accent was different from theirs, the Doctor compared it to a North American sounding accent.

"Yep, same as you, great to see a familiar face," the Doctor said, beaming. "And I must say, I'd love to talk to you, and so would my friend here.”

"I'm sorry about this," the colt replied. He flung off his cloak, catching the edge with his mouth and tossing it over the Doctor. Afterwards, he ran off, leaving Paige and the Doctor by themselves.

The Doctor turned, watching the colt run away. "What?" was all he could think to say, blinking a few times in confusion.

"Hold it right there, thief," a voice demanded from behind the Doctor.

"Doctor, turn around," Paige said, nervousness in her voice.

The Doctor turned, finding a blue hand pointing at his face. "Who, me?"

"Yes, you," the voice replied. In front of the Doctor stood a tall, blue figure with feet and hands, similar to the ones that had walked by shortly after Paige and he exited the TARDIS. "You thought you could just run away with one of our crystals, and you were wrong."

 

**

 

"The incident in Southern London has been handled, everypony is safe and a cover up story is being prepared as we speak," Hensley began. "Society is not yet ready to know we're not the only ones in the universe, the papers tomorrow will be filled with stories of tricks and hoaxes."

"I agree, the world needs to know we're not alone, but at the proper time," Shining replied. "So the special task force was successful?"

"Actually, the task force didn't get there in time," Hensley explained. "The aliens appeared, used some sort of teleport magic or technology to come down to the planet, and just as soon as they showed up, they were gone," he continued. "That means that somepony else took care of the threat, somepony that we don't know. I need to speak to Princess Celestia."

 

**

 

"Sir, there appears to be a misunderstanding," the Doctor said, keeping his voice calm. "I don't think I'm the pony you're looking for."

"That's a nice cloak, sir, exactly like the one our thief was wearing."

"You said something about... a crystal? Can't say I've got one. My friend and I here were just passing through."

The alien grumbled. "Scan him."

Another alien held out a box shaped device, waving it around the Doctor. "He can't be the one that came in, no trace of the crystal detected," the other said. "And we're pretty sure the pony we're looking for is grey."

The first alien lowered his gun, glaring at the Doctor. "Be careful what you wear," he muttered, then turned and walked the other way.

The Doctor let out a breath. "Well, that was something," he said, shaking his head.

"Who was that colt?" Paige asked. She looked down both ways of the street, seeing if he was still near.

"Question is, what did he steal?" the Doctor replied. "I think we should find this pony."

"But, he ran off, he could be far away by now."

"No, he's not far," the Doctor said. "I heard a shuffle of hooves while I was talking with the alien, he's behind a shop only a few meters away. Sir, would you like your cloak back?" The Doctor turned around, looking expectantly a short distance away from him.

After a few seconds, the mysterious colt appeared, an expression of guilt upon his face. With more time to look, the Doctor saw that this was an “earth” pony as Paiged called them, no wings or horn, and wrapped around one of his forelegs was some sort of metal device. "If they were to try anything, I couldn't let you take my place," the colt said, approaching the two slowly.

"Good man, well, pony, sorry, still new," the Doctor replied. "Now, since we just made a brilliant distraction, could you return the favor and explain why those aliens are so keen on catching you?"

The colt sighed, nodding his head. "There's a diner not far. I'll buy you something to eat."

Paige and the Doctor followed this colt down the road. They entered a dimly lit diner, which held few tables and fewer customers. The three took a booth in the corner, Paige curiously observing the colt, the Doctor keeping an eye on the device around the colt's foreleg, and the colt ordering three glasses of water and a small amount of food.

"I am sorry, about before," the colt said. "My name is Oliver."

"Hello Oliver, I'm the Doctor and this is Paige," the Doctor said.

"It's good to meet some of my own kind, it's been a while," Oliver replied. He turned to Paige, noticing the look on her face. "You seem much more... intrigued by all this than your friend," he continued.

"Oh, it's just..." Paige bit her lip, not sure what to say.

"She's... new to space travel, this is her first time out," the Doctor chimed in.

"I see."

"No, it's not just that, I'm curious," Paige said, gathering her thoughts. "You stole something, but then you offered to buy us food. That means money isn’t a problem. So, what did you steal?"

"Oh, you're good," the Doctor whispered to Paige. "I didn't even think of that, my mind is too full of stuff." He hit himself on the head, annoyed that he didn't see the same. "I take it what you stole is not for sale?"

"It's for sale. Quite an expensive object, but money isn't the issue." Oliver used his teeth to lift the small bag around his neck on to the table. He grabbed the bag with both hooves and turned it over, a small crystal falling out.

"You stole one of their crystals, like the other said..." The Doctor leaned his head down, looking at the crystal from multiple angles. He shot up when Oliver covered the crystal with his hoof, and noticed that a waiter was bringing food to the table.

"Chips! There are chips in this universe, lovely," the Doctor exclaimed, smiling at the plate.

When the waiter left, Oliver uncovered the crystal again. "I figured I'd order something familiar, we come out to the stars and discover some of our recipes are not so unique," he said with a chuckle. "Judging by your accent and calling them chips, I take it you're from one of the alpha pony planets."

"I'm, um, from London," Paige replied, not sure what Oliver meant.

"Ah, born on Earth itself." Oliver beamed. "I'd love to visit there sometime, see the original Canterlot."

"Wait, so you weren't born there?" Paige leaned in towards the Doctor. "Do some ponies come from other planets?" she whispered.

"Well, we began colonizing uninhabited planets about 1500 years ago," Oliver said, craning his neck in confusion. "So you're very, very new to space travel then."

"Yeah, she sort of lived a quiet life, didn't talk to many ponies," the Doctor said quickly, wanting to avoid the truth for the time being. "But anyways, so you've got the money for that crystal, but you stole it. It's rather small, how much value can that crystal have?"

"This crystal is medicine," Oliver explained. "My daughter is sick, and I needed to get this for her."

"But... why not just buy it?" Paige asked.

Oliver sighed. "The aliens I stole this from are the only ones who make this medicine. And they're not too kind to ponies."

"Even after they knew it wasn't me who stole the crystal, they seemed to not like me," the Doctor mentioned.

"If you haven't met them before, they're called tembars," Oliver said. "They don't deal with any four legged species. They believe any being that doesn't have feet and hands is an evolutionary mistake."

"That's terrible," Paige said, frowning.

"Not just terrible, they're completely incorrect," the Doctor added. "I know a species with four legs, and they're some of the most intelligent beings in my universe. The children learn calculus one month after they're born."

"Your universe? You mean ours?" Oliver said.

"Right, sorry, bit of a long day." The Doctor leaned back, making a note to try and avoid talk of parallel realities.

"You two are peculiar, but good ponies," Oliver continued, taking some money out of his bag to pay for the chips. "I'm sorry I put you two at risk, please understand that I'm trying to save my daughter. Now I'm not even sure I can."

"Why's that? You can get away with your crystal, we're not going to say anything. Right Doctor?" Paige felt truly sorry for this man, and wanted to let him go.

"I've stolen a couple things myself, you're a good pony too, Oliver." The Doctor smiled. "But what's the problem?"

"The tembars control off planet transport here," Oliver explained. "I didn't expect to get caught."

Paige thought for a moment. "Doctor, could he..."

"Possibly," the Doctor replied, knowing what she wanted. "Oliver, one more question, what is that thing on your foreleg?"

Oliver lifted his foreleg on to the table, revealing the device again. "It's a sonic blaster."

"It's sonic technology?" the Doctor looked closer, confirming what Oliver said. "How does it work?"

"It's a helpful modification for those of us who can't hold anything," Oliver said. "I just tense the muscles in my foreleg the right way, and it activates."

The Doctor nodded, leaning back again. "Alright then, Oliver, we have transport that could get you off this planet without any tembars noticing," the Doctor explained. "But I will only help you if three conditions are met."

"You would..." Oliver calmed his excitement, not wanting to disappoint the pony in front of him and lose this chance to return to his daughter. "Name them."

"One, you have to swear to me that you didn't kill anyone with that blaster," the Doctor started.

"I'm a thief, but I'm not a murderer," Oliver replied. "I used it to shoot out some lights at their medical building, that's all."

"Good. Two, tell me where you bought the cloak you threw over me."

"A shop right in this area, just a couple blocks down the road."

"Paige, peek out the window and see if there are any tembars around?"

Paige stood up from the table, nonchalantly looking around, grabbing a napkin to avoid suspicion from others in the diner. "There are a lot more now, and I see some blasters. I think they've stepped up on the search."

"That's what I thought, and the TARDIS is farther down than the cloak shop based on your description," the Doctor thought. "You can't just go out on the street, Oliver, but I have a plan. Give Paige some of your money, then Paige, go buy a cloak exactly like the one Oliver has, make sure you ask for a bag and keep it inside until you get back here. I have a plan."

Oliver quickly obeyed, keeping the crystal on the table and passing Paige the bag he had worn around his neck. "They won't recognize my bag, use whatever money you need," Oliver said.

Paige nodded. "I'll be back in a bit," she said, turning around and leaving the diner.

"Now, just one last condition Oliver," the Doctor said, turning back to the grey colt. "In my ship I have a sonic screwdriver, could you help me work on it a bit?"

Oliver nodded. "I built the sonic blaster on my hoof, I'm good with sonic technology."

"Then get ready to see your daughter healthy and happy," the Doctor replied, grinning. "Because I'm going to get you off this planet."

 

**

 

The Doctor slowly began walking down the street, the pony next to him covered in a cloak. He stayed right next to the cloaked figure, keeping his expression casual as he made his way towards the TARDIS. A small bag hung from the Doctor's neck.

No one paid any mind to the two ponies walking along. Shops continued to sell and trade, different species continued to converse with each other.

Nearby tembars, however, were not so ignorant. After a short distance more, two tembars stepped in front of the Doctor, halting him and the cloaked pony from going any further.

"You again," one of the tembars said.

The Doctor recognized the tembar as the one who had pointed a gun at him. "Oh, hello!" he replied cheerily. "Nice to see you again, have you found that pony you were looking for?"

"Not yet," the tembar said, keeping his eyes on the two ponies in front of him. "Although the one in the cloak next to you seems suspicious."

"Who, her? That's just the mare that was with me earlier, remember? I was carrying the cloak for her before, but now she has to keep it on," the Doctor said. "It's part of her religion, you see, she has to keep herself completely covered for several hours each day. I don't really believe in the same things she does, but that didn't stop us from getting married!"

"I'm afraid she'll need to take the cloak off," the tembar said, looking down at the cloaked pony.

"Oh, please don't," the Doctor pleaded. "Look, I know you're not big fans of us ponies, and that you're looking for a thief, but can you respect her religious belief? You can scan her, please do, so you're sure. You've already scanned me, so that's half your job done." He took a step back, the bag on his neck swinging just slightly.

Focused on the cloak, the tembar didn't notice the bag that the Doctor had. He grabbed a scanner from the one next to him, and reluctantly scanned the cloaked pony. "Nothing," he said, giving the scanner back and grumbling once more. "I didn't know some of you ponies were still stupid enough to believe in whatever primitive ritual this is," he said, huffing.

"I know, and I won't be any more trouble to you," the Doctor said, looking mildly sad in order to appear offended yet submissive. "But, you say that the thief pony has the exact same cloak as my wife?"

"Yes," the tembar said back. "So I've had to waste my time with you twice today."

"Well, I think I saw another pony with this cloak, just over there." The Doctor turned and pointed behind him, and a short distance away, trying to blend in with the crowd, was another cloaked pony.

"That's him!" the tembar shouted, pointing. The cloaked pony down the street froze, noticing the shout. "Get that thief!"

The tembar took off with five others behind him, and the second cloaked pony turned and ran, pushing through people in an attempt to get away.

"Quickly, let's get to the TARDIS," the Doctor whispered. The pair took off, running in the opposite direction, passing all the shops and street vendors the Doctor had seen and turning in to a back alley, where a blue box awaited the two ponies.

The Doctor quickly opened the TARDIS door and motioned for the cloaked pony to join him, then closed the door and let out a sigh of relief. "We're safe."

Oliver threw off his cloak, panting as he looked at the Doctor. "The plan actually worked," he breathed, then stopped to admire the ship he was in. "This ship is magnificent," he said, turning around and around. "What sort of magic made this? I've never seen something bigger on the inside."

"It's not magic, and I'm very disappointed that nopony is ever going to be amazed," the Doctor replied, moving to the consol. He paused, blinking. "I just said ‘nopony’," he mumbled to himself. "I guess I'm adapting quickly."

"Well no matter what this ship is, I can't thank you enough for bringing me here," Oliver said, moving towards the Doctor.

"Believe me, your help with my sonic screwdriver will be plenty," the Doctor replied. "Now we just have to wait for Paige."

"That mare with you, is she actually your wife?" Oliver asked.

"No, not at all," the Doctor said, pushing a few buttons on the consol. "We actually only just met, but that helped our case with the tembars."

A knock came to the TARDIS door, and the Doctor looked up, rushing down the steps to open it. As suspected, Paige stood outside the TARDIS, rushing in and smiling wider than ever before.

"Great to have you on board, Paige," the Doctor said, closing the TARDIS door again. "I take it your part of the plan worked out?"

"I ran until I found another back alley, then I ducked away, threw off the cloak, and flew on to the rooftops," Paige said, catching her breath. "It was quite easy to get back here without the street crowd in my way, and I bet the tembars are still in that alley, very confused as to how the earth pony that stole their crystal got away."

"You see, Paige? I told you your wings were brilliant," the Doctor said, beaming and moving back to the console.

"This was the most incredible day," Paige exclaimed. "It was scary running, but I feel... amazing!"

"And I have you to thank just as much as the Doctor," Oliver said, placing a hoof on Paige's shoulder. "You two are quite the amazing team."

Paige blushed, looking towards the Doctor. "He's the reason I'm here in the first place."

"Curious, but also humble, give yourself some credit Paige," the Doctor said. "Now, Oliver, I've entered the coordinates you gave me. The TARDIS has traveled well enough so far here, so she should be able to sort things out. We're off to your daughter."

 

**

 

The TARDIS doors opened, and Oliver, Paige and the Doctor stepped out into the sunlight. "Your ship is remarkable," Oliver said. "We took off from a planet and landed on another one, your ship barely even shook. And such speed…"

"Are we at the right place? Oh, you might want your bag back." The Doctor lowered his head and shook the bag off from around his neck, and Oliver picked it up and tossed it on himself in turn.

"You got the planet right, Doctor, and my house isn't far," Oliver replied. He looked in to the Doctor's eyes, truly grateful for all he had done. "Come back and visit some time. My daughter will be healthy and glad to meet you."

"We'll try our best," the Doctor said. "Take care, Oliver. And thank you for the help with my screwdriver."

"I'm not sure why you got a sonic screwdriver like the one you had in the first place," Oliver mentioned.

"It's a long story, and you've got a daughter to go cure." The Doctor stepped in to the doorway of the TARDIS, giving Oliver a smile.

"I'll remember you, Doctor," Oliver said, waving a hoof. "You too, Paige."

"It was great to meet you," Paige said, stepping next to the Doctor. Oliver turned and began walking, Paige and the Doctor stepped in the TARDIS, closing the doors behind them.

Paige smiled once more, letting out a sigh of content. "So this is how it works, then. We pop in, save the day for a planet, or just one pony, and run off, on to the next adventure?"

"That’s how it tends to go, yes, trouble has a way of finding me," the Doctor said. "And now that my sonic screwdriver is ready and we can travel more, the risk is going to be greater, but the fun will increase just as much."

"How did he help, by the way? What did he do to your sonic screwdriver while we flew to his planet?"

"Take a look." The Doctor walked to the console and hid behind it for a moment. Paige heard a click, and the Doctor reappeared, a device around his right foreleg.

"Sonic screwdriver, now fitted to my foreleg," the Doctor said, raising his hoof to show off his new device. "I told you that carrying the thing in my teeth was rubbish, and we managed to help Oliver while accomplishing my goal for visiting the planet in the first place. It works just like he said, see?" The Doctor tensed his right foreleg, and a green light on the screwdriver lit up. The screwdriver's usual sound began to emit, and a spark came flying out of the TARDIS console.

The Doctor jumped. "Ok, I need to work on tensing the muscle right," he said.

Paige laughed. "It's perfect," she told him. "So, where to now?"

"It's been a long day, saving Earth and helping Oliver get the medicine to his daughter," the Doctor said. "Let's get some rest, and tomorrow, off we go."

"Tomorrow doesn't even feel like a proper word anymore," Paige replied, suddenly yawning. "But you're right, it's been a good day. Big adventure tomorrow?"

"I've got a pony version of my sonic screwdriver now, so definitely big." The Doctor grinned widely. "Tomorrow, let's go meet some griffons."

 

**

 

Princess Celestia listened intently to Hensley's report. "And you're sure?"

"Yes, princess, we had nothing to do with stopping the threat," Hensley replied. "Somepony, we may even have to consider the possibility that it wasn't a pony, saved Southern London before we could arrive."

Celestia left her throne, walking across the room and gazing out a window. A light smile crept on to her face. "Then he’s here," she said.

"Excuse me, princess, who are we speaking about? You know who was there?" Hensley turned, confused by Celestia's words.

"Oh, I know who it is," Celestia replied, continuing to stare out the window. "Someone of great importance."

"A pony?"

"You could say that." Celestia chuckled, walking to the other side of the room to look out a different window. "He is the one I have met, but the one who is yet to meet me. The one who has been here for over a thousand years, beyond my lifetime, yet only just arrived. The one who is more important than either you or I."

Hensley only grew more confused by Celestia's words, and could only think of repeating what he  already asked. "Who?"

"The Doctor."


	5. The Griffon Kingdom

_Griffon Kingdom- 300 years before Paige's birth_

 

On the outside, the griffon kingdom shined with glory. Tall castles with painted roofs decorated the land, standing as beacons of shelter and warmth. Inside tiny villages, adults worked hard, farming the land and serving their kind, while the young ones laughed and played, free to go about as they wished. Behind the walls of the great kingdom, however, a great fear shadowed the land, leaving every griffon in worry for their lives.

Davion stood at the gate to his castle, and sighed as a rolling cart approached him, already aware of what lay underneath the blanket. Two young, male griffons were pushing the cart, and stopped in front of him.

"Two more prince Davion, a brother and sister," one of the griffons said. "They were reported dead a few hours ago."

"More victims of the plague," Davion replied with a bowed head. "Take them. You know what to do."

"Yes, sir," the griffon said. The pair pushed the cart onwards, taking the bodies to be burned, and leaving the prince alone, lost in his own thoughts.

 

**

 

"Griffons!" The Doctor jumped around the TARDIS, more excited than ever. "I bet they're gonna be brilliant! Wings are always brilliant!"

"I've met griffons before, but I've never been to the kingdom!" Paige exclaimed, entering the console room. "This will be great. By the way, I had the choice of three different kitchens to grab breakfast at between here and my bedroom. How many kitchens does this thing have?"

"Couple hundred, give or take a few dozen, I can never keep track of this place," the Doctor replied. "Now, we need to pack a few things."

Paige laughed, finding the vastness of the ship even more impressive knowing that it wasn't magic that created the TARDIS. "We can use the book bag I brought. What do we need?"

"Grab your book bag, I'll find the things I need," the Doctor said, searching around. "Ah ha!"

Paige had never taken her bag out of the console room, so she was quickly able to grab it and sling it over her shoulder. The Doctor approached with a small, black object, that appeared folded in the middle.

"This, Paige, is psychic paper," the Doctor explained, holding it with his hooves. "It says whatever you want or need it to say. This is useful a lot."

"Sounds like it," Paige replied, gently taking the psychic paper in her mouth and dropping it in the bag. "What else?"

"A little toy rat, good for distractions," the Doctor said, picking his toy rat up with his own mouth and placing it in the bag. "A banana..."

"Why a banana?"

"I used to think bananas were good, it helped once," the Doctor told Paige. "Trying to keep some old memories alive. One last thing: if we happen to run in to a formal party, I need a bow tie. I've got one over here, haven't worn it in ages. Sort of went out of style." The Doctor packed the last item needed in Paige's bag, and nodded, ready to go.

Paige smiled. "I'm glad you travel lightly, it won't be trouble lugging this bag around. And you're wearing your sonic screwdriver?"

"Yes I am, because Oliver is brilliant!" The Doctor raised his right foreleg, examining his new leg band style screwdriver. He tensed his muscle just slightly, having stayed up an extra few hours learning just how to work his modified device. A green light on the screwdriver lit up, and since no sparks came flying out of anything, he grinned.

"Now, I let the TARDIS park itself during the last few minutes while we were getting things ready. Thanks to your map of Earth and the fact that the TARDIS has landed on that planet before, it was no trouble to land us somewhere in the griffon kingdom." The Doctor headed for the door, and Paige followed suit, her anticipation growing. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors, and as he stepped out he was greeted with half a dozen spears, all pointed at his nose. "Oh," was all he could think to say, immediately stopping his advance.

A moment later, Paige stepped outside as well, and gasped in surprise. Six large griffons, all with dark brown feathers and white faces, stared at them, spears held in their direction.

"Um, Paige..." the Doctor spoke quietly, wanting to ask Paige a question. "Are ponies at peace with the griffon kingdom?"

"Yes, the ponies and the griffons arranged a peaceful alliance about three hundred years ago," Paige replied, whispering.

"Ok... so now I know that I need to calibrate the TARDIS's self parking system by about three hundred years," the Doctor mumbled back.

Paige looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Oh."

 

**

 

Prince Davion hurried up one of the towers, needing to see the intruders for himself. Sure enough, on top of one of his castle walls sat a peculiar blue box, with half a dozen of his soldiers keeping two ponies completely still.

"Make way!" The six griffons moved to the side, lowering their spears but keeping them at the ready, and the prince now got a good, personal look at the two ponies, one male and one female.

"Ooh, you're a red griffon, that's brilliant!" the Doctor said, noticing the bright red color of Davion's feathers. "I have to say, I love all the different colors. That makes things so much more exciting."

"Who are you?" Davion said, his voice demanding. "Your princess is on her way to visit to discuss peace between our kingdoms, and she sends two spies on the same day?"

"Oh, we're not spies, sorry to just pop in like this. We're actually... ambassadors, we were sent ahead of princess, uh..."

"Celestia," Paige finished.

"Right, princess Celestia, to make sure that things would run smoothly," the Doctor continued. "Paige, could you get out that document I put in your bag?"

Paige remembered the explanation of the psychic paper, and ducked her head in to her bag, pulling out the folded wallet with her mouth. When she pulled it out it unfolded on its own, and prince Davion snatched it with a claw, looking closely.

"So you are," the prince replied. "Nice of Celestia to tell me," he grumbled. "I am prince Davion, current ruler of the griffon kingdom. It's one thing for ponies to be in our territory, but a whole other thing for you to have used your vile magic in our land to transport yourselves and that box here. But I do not wish to start a conflict with Equestria, so I will let it pass."

The Doctor decided that now was not a good time to try and explain that it wasn't magic, and instead remained silent.

"And because I do not want to create conflict between kingdoms, you can go tell your princess that she should not come here. I don't want her people rioting if she were to fall ill and die from our plague."

"Your plague?" The Doctor tilted his head, intrigued now in what was happening.

Davion turned towards the wall’s edge, looking out over his kingdom. "Yes, the plague. It's been destroying us one by one for about a month now," he told the Doctor. "It's likely that by the end of the year your princess won't have to negotiate peaceful terms; we'll all be gone."

"Doctor," Paige whispered. "I've met griffons in my own time, so there can't be a plague that kills all of-"

The Doctor threw his left hoof over Paige's mouth, making her gasp in surprise. "Prince Davion, I told you that I was the Doctor, I might be able to help if you show me what you know of this plague."

Davion sighed, and turned back to the Doctor. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be accepting help from pony kind," he said. "But I am desperate to save my kingdom. I will show you what I know, Doctor, but I will keep one of my best guards with you at all times. We're not at peaceful terms with you just yet."

"Understood, prince Davion," the Doctor replied. "Let me just check on something in my transport with Paige here, we'll be out in a moment."

The Doctor removed his hoof from Paige's mouth and pushed her in to the TARDIS. He closed the door quickly, turning to her.

"Doctor, we're at peace with the griffons in my time. Is that what we're supposed to do, make peace?"

"Here's a lesson on time you need," the Doctor said. "Some points in time are fixed, and what happens must always happens, but most of time is in flux. Time changes and flows in all sorts of different ways. Time lords have this... instinct, to stay away from fixed events. Right now, things are in flux; what we do today could change the future."

"Ok," Paige replied, sort of understanding what the Doctor said. "So, is that what you're called in your world? You're a time lord?"

"Yes, I guess I hadn't told you that." The Doctor grinned. "I'm now a pony time lord. So, let's go see what this plague is, and don't go telling others about the future alright? That could cause problems if we're not careful."

"Got it."

The two stepped out of the TARDIS once more, and Davion was waiting for them, already prepared to leave.

"Alright, your highness," the Doctor said. "Let's take a look at this plague of yours."

 

**

 

Before the siblings were burned, the prince, the Doctor, and Paige managed to catch up to the cart. Prince Davion lifted the blanket, revealing the two pale, lifeless griffons. Paige groaned and took a few steps back. She had never actually seen death before, and the thought of it nearly made her sick. She coughed and sputtered a few times, trying to hold herself together.

The Doctor lifted his right hoof and activated his sonic screwdriver, scanning the bodies. "Is there a reason that you burn them?"

"We don't know how many ways the plague can spread, we are trying to take any precautions we know how to do," Davion replied.

The Doctor looked at his screwdriver, seeing what it found. "Well, you can give them proper burials if that is custom here, it's not airborne. There are some bacteria traces, but I don't know anything about griffon biology; that could be bacteria that helps you stay alive."

"You seem to have more medical knowledge than we do," Davion said. "Has pony kind made great advancements?"

"Well, I'm not your average pony, I've got some special gear," the Doctor said, scanning the griffons some more. He looked up at Davion for a moment. "But you know, making peace with ponies could lead to collaboration on a lot of things. You'd be amazed what working with others can achieve."

"Perhaps..." Davion said, beginning to consider the idea. "But let's save your ambassador duties for later and stick to what's happening now."

"You said that you didn't know how many ways the plague can spread, does that mean you're aware of one way?"

"We believe we know the origin of the plague," Davion began. "Beetles."

"Beetles?" The Doctor stopped scanning, a look of curiosity now on his face. "That sounds different."

"They've been flying around for a while now; unfortunately, we have no way of killing them," Davion said. "I understand the cycle of nature, Doctor, but our death count is rising. We think that the beetles carry some sort of disease, and when they bite, you are doomed."

"Where did these beetles come from?" the Doctor asked.

"A cave, not too far of a journey from here. We discovered the cave and sent in four griffons to search for resources. One didn't come back, the other three were dead a week later."

"This all sounds familiar..." The Doctor scratched his head, looking at the readings on his screwdriver another time. "Prince, if you'll allow me, I'd like to explore this cave."

"That's madness," Davion replied. "You'll surely get the plague."

"Actually, I've got this." The Doctor lifted his right hoof again. "I really don't feel like arguing at the moment, so I'll use the word magic. This device has some magic properties to it. It allowed me to examine the griffons, and I can set up this device to emit a certain frequency for myself and two others to be safe within a certain range of this device. To put things simply, bug repellant. They try to get near us, a little instinctive alarm should go off in their brains to stay away."

Davion paused, but reluctantly nodded. The Doctor had more ideas than him with only ten minutes of work. "Very well, Doctor, I will assign you a griffon as I told you I would. Altea," Davion turned to one of the guards, a male griffon with dark brown feathers and a white head. "Will you accompany this Doctor and the mare into the cave? I cannot promise your safety."

Altea nodded. "For the griffon kingdom, sir." Altea put a claw to his chest. His voice was slightly younger than Davion's, but several years of his adult life laid behind him.

"For the griffon kingdom," Davion repeated, making the same claw motion as well. He turned back to the Doctor. "Altea is one of my soldiers, currently assigned to castle guard. He will take you to the cave. If you succeed, Doctor, this kingdom just might have peace with yours."

The Doctor nodded. "Understood, just give me a moment." He walked up to Paige, having been too focused on the griffons to notice that she had backed off. He gently placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Paige was trembling slightly, but nodded. "I'm... I'm fine," she replied. "I just... the things that we've done... it's all a bit more real now."

"You don't have to stay, you can go back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said.

"No, no," Paige shook her head, taking a deep breath and collecting herself. "I want to help. For... for the griffon kingdom," she said, forcing herself to smile and placing a hoof on her chest.

"That's my Paige," the Doctor replied, grinning. "Let's go satisfy both our curiosities and see just what these beetles are."

 

**

 

"Here we are," Altea announced. "The cave where all this started."

After a two-mile walk, the Doctor, Paige and Altea stood in front of a large cave entrance, flush with a tall mountain glittered with trees. The rocks were a mixture of browns and blacks, glistening from a thin layer of moisture.

"This entrance was a lot smaller when we discovered it," Altea explained. "We did some digging to make the entrance larger."

"Alright, Altea, Paige, stay close to me," the Doctor said. He activated his sonic screwdriver, and accompanying the usual noise of the device was a repetitive, low tone pulse. "This emission should keep any beetles a good distance away from us. It'll be a bit awkward for me to walk with three legs, but that's still one more than I used to have, so let's go."

Altea tilted his head at the Doctor's last comment, but shrugged, slowly entering the cave. The Doctor led the way, while Altea and Paige walked next to each other, a short distance behind.

There was plenty of room in the cave passageways; Paige and Altea could walk next to each other with room on either side of them, and the ceiling was tall enough for any of the three to stand on their hind legs. The Doctor's screwdriver provided a faint light in the darkness, just enough to navigate the cave as they moved in further and further.

"You two are very different from all the ponies I've met," Altea mentioned. His voice was quiet; with the potential threat of the beetles he did not want to make much noise.

"How do you mean?" Paige asked, also keeping her volume low.

"Well, I'm a soldier," Altea began. "The only ponies I've met until today hate griffons with every fiber of their being it seems. And they're carrying weapons just like ours, ready to fight. I was beginning to think that all ponies were like that."

"A lot of us are very nice," Paige replied, considering the Doctor's warning about time before deciding what to say.

"Then you two arrive, with such quick desire to help," Altea said, looking at Paige for a moment. "I was ready to receive the order to take you to prison, but here we are, working together."

"Working together can be good," Paige said. "And you know what... I think ponies and griffons could become friends very soon." She didn't want to say anymore, worried that saying that was already too much.

"I would enjoy that," Altea said, smiling. "I think it's time for the hatred to stop."

"I think a lot of us, both griffons and ponies, would like that," Paige said.

The three continued to walk, the walls of the cave passageways expanding more and more. Off in the distance, a very faint light could be seen, and the Doctor turned towards it, Paige and Altea following promptly. The trickle of water broke the silence of the cave, periodically dripping. As the three progressed deeper in to the cave the temperature began to drop, little by little chilling the travelers.

"So, this Doctor," Altea said softly, beginning another conversation. "You travel with him?"

"Yes, we travel together," Paige replied.

"How long have you been doing so?"

Paige blinked. "Actually, only since yesterday..."

"Yet you seem to trust him so much, helping him help us, putting your life at risk."

"It's weird," Paige said. "Truthfully, I have no idea who he is, and yet it feels like I've known him for ages. It's only been a day, but the things I've seen, traveling with that pony..."

"Sounds like you've visited more than just the griffon kingdom."

"You could say that," Paige replied.

"What made you decide to go with him?"

Paige paused, thinking once more about her actions. "He just, sort of, fell out of the sky, into my life," she explained. "I didn't have much where I was. My parents were good to me, but they moved to another town, I didn't see them too often. As for friends, very few paid any mind to me. I just stuck to my books, working at the library, going home and reading by candle light until early morning. The Doctor showed me so much more... I couldn't resist the offer to travel with him." Paige couldn't believe her own words. She had willingly agreed to go with the Doctor, that much was true, but the reality of how fast everything had changed finally hit her. She couldn't even think of returning to her old job, her old life, and she'd only been gone a night.

"Well it sounds like, if you feel this way after just one day, and I can't imagine how you could have seen so much yesterday when you had to travel to the griffon kingdom," Altea said with a chuckle. "It sounds like you should stay with this Doctor for a long while."

"I don't know what you two are going on about back there, but I told you to stay close," the Doctor said, not bothering to keep his voice down. Paige and Altea jumped, hastily catching up so they were closer to the Doctor. "That light, it's getting closer. I think there's something down there, could be what we're looking for."

After a few more minutes, the three realized that the light was from a large cavern, separated from the tunnels by a small, semi circular entrance. The Doctor dashed in, then froze in place, staring upwards. "It can't be..."

Paige and Altea entered behind the Doctor, discovering a room filled with little black beetles flying about. The light source came from the other end of the room, a light blue aura emanating from a beetle a hundred times larger than any of the three travelers.

"What... is that? Some sort of monster?" Altea took a slight step back, breathing more heavily.

"I know what it is," the Doctor said. "I know what all these are now. They look like beetles, so we call them beetles, but they're not really beetles. These things are quite nasty nasty, more like mosquitoes. The small ones, the ones that have been giving griffons the plague, they bight species and take the tiniest amount of blood, but the trouble is they leave behind a bacteria that they all carry, it's natural to them. They come back and they all feed that one giant beetle with blood. Fruit will work too, especially if it’s been around animals and carries both scents.”

“Kind of a strange diet combination,” Altea commented.

“Very true,” the Doctor replied. “The giant one is the queen. Typically, they get blood from small creatures, but griffons were the nearest food source."

Altea gulped, looking all around and eternally grateful that the Doctor's device was keeping the beetles at bay. "I have never heard of such a creature. I've never seen anything like this."

"But Doctor," Paige said, walking up to him. "How can you know all this? We only just arrived-"

"Later, we only have time for my questions at the moment. My sonic screwdriver can typically last forever, but this pulse is wearing it down," the Doctor interrupted. "So, small cave, small beetles except for the queen, so how did she get in?"

One by one, all three looked up, seeing a hole in the ceiling of the cavern, large enough for the beetle to get through.

"Was that on the mountain before?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, we only just began to explore these mountains," Altea said.

"Right, so, Altea, there's no way to completely get rid of these beetles by killing them. We have to move them," the Doctor began, turning to Altea. "Is there any nearby area that's not populated, no griffons, no ponies, nothing?"

Altea scratched the back of his head, thinking for a moment. "The badlands," he said, remembering. "It's a dried-up desert. A few creatures, some lizards, spiders and things that can live out there without the moisture, but no griffon or pony has ever travelled across it. There's no way to farm or sustain our lives there."

"Then that's where the beetles are going," the Doctor replied. "Sounds like there's some life there that could be immune to the beetle bacteria, even some things that will eat the beetles. With the beetles there, nature can decide how things go."

"But how do we get the beetles there?" Altea asked.

"That's the part that's a bit dodgy..." the Doctor said. "My device, the frequency has been repelling the beetles from us..."

"You could reverse it," Paige said, contemplating the idea. "Make them want to come near it."

"Exactly. So, Paige, do you think you could give me a lift?"

"I've flown some earth ponies around before, just hang on right when we fly," Paige said, stretching out her wings and making sure her bag was secure.

"Perfect." The Doctor chuckled, growing a wide smile. "I'm going to ride a flying pony." He shook his head, getting back to the situation. "Altea, can you lead us to the badlands?"

"Very few have travelled beyond these mountains, but I know the direction," Altea said.

"Right then, both of you, when I switch the frequency on my screwdriver, these beetles are going to think that we are the most delicious treat they could possibly have, and so will their queen. And don't worry, if there's any beetles left in the griffon kingdom, they'll leave when they discover the big one is gone. Ready?"

"For the griffon kingdom."

"Hop on my back."

Paige knelt, and the Doctor carefully climbed on, positioning his hooves so that he wouldn't interfere with Paige's wings. Paige grunted, not having done something like this very often. She began to flap her wings, getting herself and the Doctor up in the air, and Altea followed.

"Those are incredibly strong," the Doctor said, staring in amazement as they took off. The three rose above all the beetles, getting themselves halfway between the cave floor and the exit point. "Right, on my signal, fly as fast as you can. Actually, you won't need a signal, just fly when you see hundreds of beetles going after you."

The Doctor took a deep breath, then adjusted the frequency of the pulse down to a level that would attract the beetles. After a few seconds, several beetles began to fly up, followed by more, and more, and at last, even the queen began to flap its wings, taking off.

 

**

 

Altea and Paige started moving, flying up and out of the cave, into the sunlight. Far off at prince Davion's castle, what appeared as a cloud of black could be seen coming out of the mountain. Davion looked out towards the mountains, noticing the sight after several guards began pointing, and began to reconsider princess Celestia's ideas of peace. "Good luck, Doctor."

 

**

 

Back in the mountains, Altea turned for the badlands, him and Paige flapping their wings with all the strength they had. Altea flew a small way ahead, unburdened by extra weight, but stayed close to Paige and the Doctor, not wanting to lose them. The Doctor wrapped one front hoof around Paige's neck, finding it more difficult to hold on than he had thought. Traveling by flight, they covered a fair distance in a short amount of time, and were soon several miles away from where they had been before.

"How much farther?" the Doctor shouted, wind blowing in his face.

"It's that desert area over there," Altea shouted back, pointing with a claw. "It will only take a few more minutes to get there!"

The swarm of beetles urged the three travelers on, the sound of the swarm's wings reminding them of what chased. They flew over less and less life, nearing the dry, rocky badlands that lay just behind the mountain range.

"When we get there and repel them from us again, they'll find a new habitat in the badlands, they're not good at finding where they were before!" the Doctor yelled. "The pulse will give us a safe return-"

The Doctor looked at his hoof in fear, seeing his screwdriver begin to give out. "No, don't you dare, I know you're brand new, haven't traveled much yet, but you can finish this." The Doctor removed his left hoof from around Paige's neck then fumbled to grab on again, instantly starting to slip off. He used his teeth to try and adjust the screwdriver, to keep it going, but the pulse continued to slowly fade.

Paige fought to stop from panicking, keeping her breath under control so she could keep flying. "Doctor, what are we going to do?"

"Don't to this!" the Doctor screamed at his screwdriver, trying to get it going again. "I know you're not designed to sustain these types of frequencies for this long, but you've got too!"

"Doctor, is there a problem?" Altea shouted, noticing the trouble.

"Altea, my screwdriver is dead, we have no way of repelling the beetles once we're a decent distance in the badlands!"

"They're coming faster, Doctor!"

The Doctor looked behind him after Paige shouted, seeing that the beetles were catching up.

"Why are they still following if the device isn't working?" Altea said.

"At this point they're just following you, they've been going after griffons for a while now!" the Doctor replied.

"Then leave me!"

The Doctor stared at Altea, aware of the plan the griffon had in mind.

"Altea, you won't just get the plague, they're all going after you at once right now. That’s immediate death"

"For the griffon kingdom, Doctor. And for the pony kingdom. Your success and my sacrifice will be a shining symbol for peace."

The Doctor stared in to Altea's eyes, Altea staring back in a shared moment of silent understanding and silent apologies. The Doctor nodded, then leaned down to Paige so he could talk in to her ear. The three had flown a fair distance in to the badlands, and the time came to make a decision.

"Paige, fly up."

"But we can't just leave him!"

"I said fly up! We have to go up!"

Tears rolled down Paige's cheeks as she looked towards Altea, who bravely put on a smile. "You keep on traveling with that Doctor," he said.

Paige gulped, nodding at Altea, before reluctantly flying upwards, getting above Altea and the beetle swarm.

The Doctor, however, had a different plan in mind. "Paige, don't turn back," he told her.

Paige, blinked, and tried to look up at the Doctor. "But we have to-"

"I said we had to fly up, I didn't say we were leaving," the Doctor replied. His head began whirling around, back and forth, looking at the beetles, Altea, and Paige, trying to devise a plan.

Paige’s tears slowed. She flew on, urging herself to go a bit faster, keeping up with the swarm. "What can we do?"

"The small ones, they eat fruit, but right now they've got Altea's scent, they want to help the queen," the Doctor said, talking to himself. "They'll continue to follow the griffon scent, but their sense of smell isn't the best, they could be confused if I get a different scent close to Altea. I'd need something else though, because they'll go after any animal, I'd need the griffon scent plus something else tasty to go after... BANANA!" The Doctor yelled the last word of his sentence, making Paige flinch in shock.

"What?" Paige replied, trying to look up at the Doctor again.

"Bananas... are... brilliant!" the Doctor shouted, beginning to reach his right hoof in to Paige's bag. "Paige, I can't do what I'm about to do with just one hoof, can I clamp on a bit with my hind legs?"

"Yes!" Paige shouted back, still not sure what the plan was.

The Doctor dug his hind legs in to Paige's sides, then released his left foreleg's grip. Paige winced a bit, but continued, eager to save Altea.

The Doctor leaned up, flailing his forelegs about for a moment as he fought to stay balanced. He leaned over Paige's side, reaching in to the bag and pulling out the banana he had placed in there, holding it with both front hooves.

"Paige, I need you to take this banana, hold it in your front hooves, fly over Altea, and run it along his back," the Doctor explained, leaning forward on Paige again and passing the banana to her. "Be sure to do a good job, then give the banana to me. After that, fly above Altea; I'm going to do something a bit dangerous and a bit stupid."

"Doctor, this already sounds very dangerous and very stupid," Paige shouted.

"Fair point, get used to that," the Doctor replied.

Paige took a deep breath, then used all her might to increase her speed above Altea's, turned around, and dove downwards, flying low above Altea and sliding the banana across his back. Altea jerked from the feeling of something on him, turning his head to see Paige and the Doctor flying above him.

"Doctor, why are you still here?" Altea shouted upwards.

"Because you're flying out of this alive. Now get ready, this is the part where I jump on to your back!" the Doctor shouted.

"What?!" Paige and Altea yelled in unison.

"Just get ready!" the Doctor replied. He leaned forward on Paige, taking the banana back in to his front hooves. "Altea, these beetles can be confused, but there are quite a lot of them. To get out of this, you need to make one heck of a flying maneuver so they lose sight of you in a split second. Can you do that?"

"As long as you hang on tight!" Altea shouted back. "Are you sure this will work?"

"That's a question you never want to ask me when I have a plan!" the Doctor replied. Paige got in position above Altea, and the Doctor slowly eased his grip on her sides, leaning himself up again so he could make a good jump.

"Alright, I'm about to jump off of a flying pony, on to a flying griffon, and save the day with a banana," the Doctor said to himself. "If I have ever done anything more ridiculous, I honestly can't recall it."

The Doctor swung his right hind leg over Paige and quickly pushed off with his left hind hoof, placing the banana in his mouth as he fell through the air. He landed hard, making Altea grunt and decline a few feet in altitude before shaking his head and keeping himself going.

The Doctor grabbed at Altea's sides with his hind legs as he had done with Paige, then spat the banana back in to his front hooves. "Good catch, Altea!"

"Please never do that again," Altea replied, knowing he'd feel the pain in his back later.

"You can count on it; now, I need you to throw this banana, then make your flying maneuver," the Doctor explained. The Doctor leaned forward so Altea could take the banana in his claw, then wrapped both front hooves around Altea's neck, hanging on tight.

Altea stared at the banana, the swarm of beetles behind him the only thing that made him trust the Doctor. "Are you completely insane?"

"I may be insane, but I packed a banana," the Doctor replied.

Altea had no clue what to say to that response. He took a deep breath, threw the banana as hard as he could in front of him, then made a split-second change in his direction, diving vertically then turning again, flying underneath the swarm of beetles. The Doctor lost the grip of his hind legs, yelling as he began to hang by the grip of his front hooves, clasped over Altea's neck. Altea rolled quickly so he wouldn't choke, landing the Doctor on his back again with a thump, and making the Doctor a bit queasy. Altea darted past the last of the beetles then kept on flying, Paige doing the same a distance above them.

None of the three spoke or looked back for several minutes, eventually slowing down and landing at the edge of the badlands. Half a mile away the three could see the swarm, more scattered now.

The Doctor slipped off Altea, landing on the ground and panting for breath along with the other two. "Basic habitat relocation," the Doctor said, deciding to just stay on the ground while he recovered his wits. "Good flying, Altea. You nearly made me sick, but that dive and direction change was quick enough to confuse the beetles. That split second of confusion was just enough to get them off our trail, any slower and we'd all be dead. Now the beetles will simply scatter, the queen will find a new home, and the badlands will sort the rest."

Altea sat for a moment, stretching his wings out as well as his back, having used adrenaline to keep going in the last moments of the escape. "Thank you, Doctor. I was ready to die, and you saved me. I don't know how I could repay you."

"Well, a flight back to the griffon kingdom would be lovely," the Doctor said with a chuckle.

"I need to rest a minute," Paige mentioned, laying down on the ground and nearly passing out right there. "I don't know how I managed to fly like that."

"We will rest, and I will relieve Paige from carrying you for the return trip," Altea said, grinning and sighing with relief.

 

**

 

Altea, Paige, and the Doctor entered Davion's castle courtyard, where prince Davion was awaiting to hear the news. Altea stopped the Doctor, wanting to tell the story himself.

As Davion listened, his head was filled with the feats of intelligence and bravery that the Doctor performed. He listened without interrupting, taking everything in, keeping his expression uniform. When Altea stopped, Davion walked towards the Doctor.

"You achieved more in a single day than we ever did fighting this plague," Davion said. "From Altea's story, you showed bravery, kindness, and a will to not give up. You could have left Altea and returned, yet you stayed, and saved one of my soldier's lives. I believe I can now speak to Celestia with higher hopes of peace and cooperation between our kingdoms."

"Prince Davion, it has been an honor meeting you," the Doctor replied, giving a slight bow. "I think I can speak for Paige and myself in saying that the future is bright."

"You never know, ponies and griffons may one day even marry each other," Paige said, thinking of a pony she had spoken with once at her library.

Davion laughed. "Let's not go that far. Not today, at least. Ah, here's the very one who sent you."

Davion pointed, and entering the courtyard was a very tall, shining white pony. Her mane and tail glistened four different colors and flowed about without aid of the wind. Her large wings were folded against her back, and her long, white horn held a golden crown on top of her head, matching the golden neck piece.

"Presenting princess Celestia, from the pony kingdom of Equestria," one of the griffon guards announced.

Paige gasped, having never seen the princess so up close. She quickly bowed down, and the Doctor just stared, amazed at the size difference and elegance of the pony in front of him.

Davion grinned, and approached princess Celestia. "Greetings, princess."

"A smile, Davion?" Celestia said. "I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face." She grinned in return, giving a short, polite bow to recognize his authority over the territory.

"I was ready to turn you away, in fear of you catching a plague that has made our kingdom suffer for a month, but your two ambassadors managed to save us all with just a few hours of work."

"My wha- oh yes, my ambassadors," Celestia quickly went along with Davion's words when she looked past the prince and saw the pony standing there. She withheld her excitement, focusing on the prince again. "I am glad they were of such excellent assistance beyond their usual job. You should have told me, about your plague, prince. I would have sent assistance to you."

"That's what I'm beginning to see," Davion replied. "I was blind of what could be achieved if we worked together until today. I believe, princess, that with some discussion over the next few weeks, griffons and ponies may have a peaceful alliance."

"I am glad you see it that way, and I look forward to our discussions," Celestia said, beaming. "But before I enter your castle, may I have a word in private with my ambassadors? They unfortunately have other plans now that they've completed their duty; they will be leaving soon."

Davion nodded, and turned to the Doctor. "I wish I had more time to honor you two, but perhaps we will meet again." Davion held out a claw, and the Doctor held out a hoof, forgetting for a moment that he didn't have fingers. Nonetheless, Davion grabbed the hoof and shook it, that form of shake working just fine. The prince nodded at the guards around him, and they left for the castle doors, leaving the Doctor, Paige and Celestia alone.

Paige was still bowing, not looking up at the princess. "You may rise, young mare," Celestia said with a chuckle. Paige nervously lifted her head, but was greeted by a warm, calming smile. "What is your name?"

"I'm Paige, Paige Turner," Paige replied nervously. "It's an honor to meet you, princess."

"It's an honor to meet you as well," Celestia replied, holding out a hoof. Paige blushed, trembling as she held out her own hoof, returning the shake.

Celestia then turned to the Doctor, who was still frozen in amazement at the sight of the princess. "And you," Celestia said, smiling wider. "I know who you are."

The Doctor blinked, snapping out of his stare. "You do? Have we met? Things like this get a bit tricky..."

"Don't worry, you and I are meeting each other for the first time," Celestia said. "But I have waited so very long to meet you. You were foretold long before Equestria was even established."

"Really?" the Doctor replied, not expecting that. "How long ago was that?"

"Wait, before Equestria... that's over a thousand years ago. How is that possible?" Paige said, wide eyed.

"I think you'll learn that many impossible things are possible around the Doctor," Celestia told her. "Paige, would you mind giving the Doctor and I one moment alone? I promise I won't keep him long."

Paige wished that she could speak to the princess more, but nodded. "Of course, princess," she replied.

"Thank you."

"Just head back to the TARDIS, I'll meet you there," the Doctor told Paige as she began to walk away.

Both the Doctor and Celestia turned back to face each other once Paige was gone. "Now, wings _and_ a horn, Paige didn't tell me that was an option," the Doctor said.

"It's very rare, not even all pony royalty is like this," Celestia explained. "Right now, there are only two… well, I guess there's really just me at the moment."

"You're the only one of your kind," the Doctor replied. "Believe me, I know how that feels."

"You sacrificed so much that you loved dearly to save your planet, Doctor," Celestia said. "I sacrificed something I loved dearly to save my world, and now I am all alone. You and I have a connection that I don't think I could make with any other being."

The Doctor nodded solemnly, holding back the pain of memories he could never forget.

"But that discussion is for another time," Celestia said. "How long have you been here, Doctor?"

"Oh, just a couple days, actually," the Doctor replied. "Although, you may hear of me in about three hundred years..."

"I understand, Doctor," Celestia chuckled again. "Although I'm meeting you for the first time, I know a lot more about you than you know about me. I wish we had time to discuss now, but we will meet again. Until then, I thank you for all the work you do. You have helped so much today." Celestia nodded at the Doctor and began to walk past him, heading for the castle.

"Don't worry, princess. Helping out, saving the day, it's who I am," the Doctor said, beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

"Oh, it's not about who you are, Doctor," Celestia replied, stopping and turning her head. The Doctor paused, looking back as well. "What matters is who you want to be."

Celestia winked, then turned away, entering the griffon castle.

 

**

 

The Doctor entered the TARDIS with Paige, taking off his sonic screwdriver with his teeth and setting it on the console.

"I've never tried using my screwdriver like that before," the Doctor replied. "I guess it couldn't handle all the new kinks in it and work so hard on the same day, but I should be able to get it fixed quickly, now that Oliver has helped me with hoof-based devices."

“I still can't believe all that we did today. Flying from those beetles, saving Altea..." Paige set her bag down on the floor, leaning on a railing and pondering the whole day.

"About that... Paige, I need to say something." Paige looked towards the Doctor, hearing a serious tone in his voice. "What happened today, it doesn't always work like that. I can't always save everyone. Traveling with me is dangerous."

Paige looked down for a moment. "It all became more real when we saw those two dead griffons," Paige began. "But, even if Altea had died today... you saved the griffon kingdom, and I find out that you're the reason three hundred years from now I've met griffons that have come to London," she continued. "You already told me it was dangerous when I first met you, and now I actually understand that. I still want to travel with you regardless, but one question has been bugging me. In the cave, you said you knew those beetles?"

The Doctor took a breath. "I knew those beetles because they're not from this universe, they're from mine," he explained.

"You're not the only thing that's come through? Does that mean you can get back?" Paige asked.

"Not at the moment, no, it's actually a bad thing," the Doctor replied. He sat down on the floor, and Paige did the same, listening intently. "Long ago, traveling between parallel universes was just a feat of technology, but now, technically it's impossible."

"So how does that explain you and the beetles?"

"There have been times in the past where there were cracks in the void, this area of nothingness that separates parallel universes," the Doctor went on. "When there are cracks, things can get through, like me. But, these cracks can only get bigger, and that's not good. Parallel universes could begin to collide, and that could mean the end of everything. I bled through to your world, the beetles bled through… throughout space and time, at least two things from my universe have come here, and that's dangerous, even more so since I still can't explain how I became a pony. There's a lot that I need to understand, but things can only get more dangerous from here."

Paige nodded, not entirely grasping the talk of parallel words, but following enough. "I'm a curious pony, Doctor," Paige said. "When you first wanted me to come with you, you were very excited, but now you're hesitant to keep me coming along. You showed me that my curiosity is a wonderful thing, and right now I just want to see more. It's worth the danger, and it's worth helping you."

The Doctor smiled. "Right, sorry, I just get extra nervous sometimes, I'm not used to having no clue what's going on," he said. The Doctor stood up, moving to hit a few buttons on the console. "Your curiosity is a wonderful thing, and don't ever let any pony, griffon, or anything tell you different."

Paige stood, up, smiling at the Doctor. "So, off we go then?"

"Off we go."


	6. The Frozen Planet

"I swear, he had three heads!" Paige shouted.

The Doctor and Paige had traveled for a month now, and Paige had loved every adventure they went on. She’d grown more attached to him, sharing unfathomable beauty, hilarious accidents, and on occasion, perilous danger with this mysterious colt. As for her emotions toward him, she still had absolutely no idea.

"No, that fish had two heads, and one of them was a hologram, it was a scam," the Doctor replied, laughing along with Paige.

"But I touched all three heads, I felt something each time!"

"You thought you touched all three heads; that was a clever two headed fish with masterful skill in trickery."

"How are you so sure?"

"As old as I am, you don't think I've come across a hologram?"

"No, as old as you are I think you might be getting a bit slow." Paige grinned slyly, and the Doctor stared at her wide eyed before laughing again. "So, what have we got now?"

"I did a little random jump, we're 2,500 years in your future. The TARDIS is getting more and more used to this universe and keeps taking information as we go, so I can learn why I’m here and how to fix things. We're in the pony quadrant of this galaxy, beta sector."

"I still can't believe ponies actually go out in to space like you and I one day... or many days ago, depending on how you look at it."

"You're strikingly similar to a species I spend a lot of time with in my universe. Starting out primitive, only guessing about what's out there. Then one day, you decide you all want to see it for yourselves, and take off, spreading out across the universe faster than any other species."

Paige grinned at the thought, hoping that one day they could go and watch the first ponies launched in to space. "What are we doing here?"

"To be honest, I have no idea yet- hold on..." The Doctor noticed a different reading on the monitor and took a closer look. "That doesn't seem right..."

"What is it?" Paige asked, joining the Doctor at the monitor.

"There's a planet nearby, and it's freezing cold," the Doctor replied. "With how far it is away from this system's star, it shouldn't be. Temperature is going back up, but it'll take hundreds of years for the temperature to be where it should."

"So, something must have made the planet cold," Paige said, her curiosity rising. "Have a look?"

"Just what I was thinking."

The Doctor moved the TARDIS closer to the planet, entering in orbit. He began more scans of the planet, trying to find weather patterns, shifts in oceans, anything that would cause such a planetary-wide temperature drop.

"There's nothing, no evidence of anything out of the ordinary," the Doctor said, dumbfounded by his own readings. "It's as if the planet was just fine, then one day everything just got cold. This planet's old, it can't have been like this since its beginning, not with the star it's orbiting."

The Doctor and Paige looked over in surprise when an old telephone on the console began to ring. Paige blinked, making sure that she heard what she thought she heard. "Are we out in space, 2500 years in the future, with a phone ringing in your spaceship from another universe?"

"That's not a phone actually, but I'll show you my phone sometime," the Doctor replied, leaving Paige even more dumbfounded. "I made that phone so that it would ring when a nearby ship is trying to contact me. There's a ship nearby, and they're wondering who we are."

"Is it a dangerous ship? Aliens?"

"Only one way to find out," the Doctor replied, hitting a button on his console to answer the request.

A new screen blinked on the monitor, and on the other side of the screen stood a red, female unicorn. "This is captain Ruby of the Equestrian Union ship Wanderer, who am I speaking to?"

"Oh hello, ponies!" the Doctor exclaimed, beaming. Paige smiled as well, happy to see some of her own kind again. "I haven't met one with just a horn yet, bit exciting, sorry. I'm the Doctor, next to me is Paige."

"This planet had a quarantine put on it, you can't get within even long-distance sensor range of it, and its condition is classified," Ruby replied. "May I ask how you two got here?"

"Well, with quarantine, I'd like to ask you the same question," the Doctor said.

"We're the ones with clearance to investigate. Now what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm not the kind of pony that waits to be allowed to do things, I just sort of travel about. However, I've never seen anything like this, a planet that's freezing cold when it shouldn't be? A quarantine is usually for medical purposes, which means you're also not sure about what happened, nor do you want others to know about it."

Ruby paused, then shrugged. "I can't let you explore on your own, but since you've already seen the planet and seem to have knowledge that might help, you can come on board my ship. Try anything, and you’ll be arrested. Can we teleport you?"

"Actually," the Doctor began, beginning to hit buttons on the TARDIS, "You'll find that you can't really teleport us out of my ship, but don't worry, just send me the coordinates of your orbit, I'll come to you."

"Very well, coordinates sent."

The Doctor switched off Ruby's communication, and began fiddling with dials and buttons on the consol. "So, we're going to sort of park next to them, get near their orbit?" Paige asked.

"The TARDIS is only bigger on the inside, Paige, I'm going to park it inside their ship," the Doctor replied, flipping a lever and starting the TARDIS's motion.

 

**

 

In orbit on the other side of the planet rested the Wanderer. The ship was fairly small, meant for short-term missions, with two small cargo bays, an engine room, bridge, medical bay, living quarters, and hallways connecting everything. The ship was unpainted except for the name and registry number, located on the ship's left side.

Ruby and Nicole, the two female crew members out of a total of five, were on the bridge, making more scans of the planet surface.

"Captain, I'm getting an alert from cargo bay one, it says we have new shipments in," Nicole said, noticing an update on one of her screens.

"New? From where?"

"Unknown."

"Keep scanning the planet, make sure we haven't missed anything." Ruby walked to the bridge door, then hit the com button. "Daniel, Luke, head for cargo bay one, need to check on something. I'll meet you there."

Ruby exited the bridge, moving her way through the twists and turns of the ship passageways. The Union saved money by making ships with large enough accommodations for all ponies to be comfortable, and tiny, narrow passageways to keep the ship under size.

Daniel and Luke, two brown pegasus ponies, were waiting for Ruby at the cargo bay door. Ruby entered the door code and stepped inside, finding cargo that had always been there, and a tall, blue box, positioned in between two stacks of crates.

"What in the world is that? What's a police box?" Daniel asked, cautiously approaching it.

"Never mind that, how did it get in my cargo bay?" Ruby said. She advanced on the box, her movement stopped by the sight of one of the doors opening.

"Don't move," Ruby ordered the two colts, holding up a hoof. She waited, unsure of what was about to emerge.

"Hello!" the Doctor shouted, poking his head out from the door with a grin. "Sorry to pop in and surprise you, I was just landing my ship."

"Your ship is... that? And it just got in here on its own?" Ruby stared at the pony she had only just seen on her com screen, wondering how much room there was for him with all the controls for the ship.

"Not on its own, with me inside," the Doctor replied, stepping out with Paige. "Oh, and her too. I'm the Doctor, this is Paige, and we'd like to help you investigate this frozen planet."

Ruby stood still for another moment. "You both fit in there and fly that ship."

"You'd find it quite roomy, actually," Paige said, adjusting her bag.

"Actually, we've got them to help us, I don't think you need to carry that this time around," the Doctor told Paige. She nodded and tossed the bag back into the TARDIS.

"Well, under the circumstances, I'm going to ignore that you teleported your entire ship on to mine, breaking a dozen security protocols to say: welcome aboard the Wanderer," Ruby said, relaxing. "I'm captain Ruby, we met over the com; this is Daniel, our medical officer; and this is Luke, our jack of all trades crew member. He could fly the ship, stitch a wound, or fix the engine, but he doesn't have enough experience to be an officer in any one field."

"Hello," Paige said with a wave, happy to meet some fellow pegasi.

"Look at all your wings, that is brilliant," the Doctor said. "And you, a unicorn. Do you mind if I..." the Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver, approaching Ruby and waving his hoof around her.

"Well, you seem to have already started," Ruby replied. She was alarmed at first, but when she felt no harming effect she remained still.

"Sorry, I haven't been around much, I'm seeing if my sonic screwdriver can tell me about your magic."

"And what does it say?"

"Well... nothing." The Doctor was stumped, not finding anything different about Ruby's biology.

"Would you like me to lift something?"

The Doctor beamed. "This I've got to see."

Ruby rolled her eyes but used her magic to lift a small crate that was across the room and hold it in the air. The Doctor's eyes widened. "This universe just gets more and more brilliant..." he said, in awe at the levitation power. He snapped out of his stare at the box and activated his screwdriver again, getting it closer to Ruby's now glowing horn and scanning all over her. Ruby lowered the box, placing it back where it was while the Doctor looked at his screwdriver. "Still nothing."

"As I suspected," Ruby replied. "Now, if nopony in your life ever bothered to explain magic to you, then tough luck. Right now, we have more important matters. You want to help, I accept the fact that I'm out of my league here, so I'll take all the help I can get. Come with me to the bridge."

Paige and the Doctor began following Ruby while Daniel and Luke exited the cargo bay in a different direction. The three walked quickly through the narrow hallways, climbing up a few stairs here and there and at last arriving at the bridge.

The Doctor stepped up to the window, looking down at the planet they were orbiting. The entire planet was a mixture of white and light blue, swirls of different shades in large, frozen bodies of water, land painted in snow and ice, a few clouds slowly moving about the atmosphere.

"It's beautiful..." Paige said, looking down at the planet as well.

"The sight is beautiful, but the story is terrible," Ruby said. "Two million colonists were on the planet."

"Any signs of survivors?" the Doctor asked.

"Four."

The Doctor let out a quiet sigh, his eyes closing in the pain of the thought, and Paige gasped and turned away, unable to look at the planet below.

"Can we get them out?"

"They're already here, Doctor," Ruby replied. "Alive, but on the brink of death and frozen. They're in our medical bay; we've been slowly bringing their temperatures back up, so their system doesn't go into shock. They should be up in an hour."

"How did you find out about the incident?"

"Every planet in the Equestrian Union is in communication with each other, and also sends out automated reports of weather conditions and so on," Ruby explained. "Three days ago, communication was lost with this planet, and the first team that went to investigate was never heard from, still missing. The automated reports kept coming until recently, however, and we were able to determine the time of the temperature change. 48 hours ago."

"How quickly did the temperature drop?"

"The automated reports are logged in five-minute intervals. Between one log and the next, the temperature reached where it is now."

"In five minutes or less, the entire planet went to below freezing temperatures?" The Doctor rubbed a hoof through his mane, his mind exploring possibilities. "That is fearsome technology."

"Or fearsome magic," Ruby mentioned.

"You're saying a unicorn could have done this?" the Doctor asked.

"Unicorns aren't the only magical creatures, Doctor, and again, I don't have time to explain magic to you. But we can't rule out the possibility that it was a pony, even though it's doubtful. Magic that powerful hasn't been heard of in thousands of years. When ponies began traveling out to the stars, meeting new species, technology caught up with magic, and magic became mostly irrelevant. Still useful, but now an earth pony or pegasus could fly a ship like this with no issue. Don't need unicorns or hands to lead the way."

"Captain, I have several theories on what could have happened down there, but the way we're going to get answers is through the survivors in your medical bay," the Doctor said. "Could I be there when you wake them up?"

"To be honest, I don't know why I'm trusting two ponies who broke through the false quarantine," Ruby said. "But you're here, and don't possess any weapons. From what I can tell, you're just trying to figure out what happened, like us. I'll allow it."

 

**

 

The walk from the bridge to the medical bay took several minutes, and the rest of the time was spent waiting as sensors, needles, and machinery slowly woke up the four survivors. Two pegasi and two earth ponies were what was left of the colonists below, all with a grey coat and various colors of manes, and their lungs began to move, breathing returning to normal.

The Doctor and Paige waited calmly as Ruby paced about. Daniel was monitoring all the machinery and Luke stood by with another crew member in case one of them were needed.

"I think one's coming to," Daniel said. One of the earth ponies began to move, his eyes flickering a bit.

"Mmm..." the colt moaned, his senses coming about.

"It's ok, you're safe," Daniel said in a calm tone, leaning over the bed.

As the colt continued to wake, his movements suddenly became rapid. "No... no!" The colt flailed his hooves about after his sudden shout, knocking over a tray table holding different medicines. Daniel jumped back in shock, and Ruby moved forward, using magic to hold the colt's hooves down.

"It's alright, stay calm," Ruby said, looking in to the colt's eyes. His head moved all over, unsure of where to look. His eyes turned a slight shade of yellow. "You're on the EU Wanderer, you're safe. Can you tell me what happened on the planet surface?"

"Chaos..." the colt continued to fight the grip on his hooves, his body writhing against the bed he was laying on. "Chaos! The cold... the pain..."

The doctor blinked, a memory hitting him after hearing the colt yell.

_“Our planet has fallen to chaos,” the captain told the Doctor. “We have been devastated, and we are barely surviving. This used to be one of our finest ships, now we are scavengers.”_

"Look, I know that it must have been terrible, but you're safe now." Ruby leaned over the table, attempting to force the colt to look her in the eye. "But I need to know anything I can about what happened. Do you know who did this?"

The colt at last stared right at Ruby. While still trembling furiously, the colt's flailing stopped. "I am not safe..." he replied, his eyes frozen on Ruby, not blinking. "Nopony is safe... no creature is safe... no world is safe."

"Why? What happened?"

Even the colt's trembling stopped as a smile grew across his face. He began to chuckle, his eyes widening more as his smile grew. The smile did not bring joy to Ruby; it brought fear.

The colt below her surged his head forward, knocking in to Ruby's head unexpectedly. Ruby lost her magic grip as she staggered back, and the colt rolled off the table in a flash, rising to his hooves.

Daniel rushed forward but was pushed back, landing on his back with a thump. The Doctor tried to come around from the side and grab hold of the colt, but the colt rushed forward, throwing himself into the light controls for the medical bay, causing the panel to spark and the lights to go out. Afterwards, a scream and fumbling of hooves was all that could be heard, before silence.

Ruby recollected herself, standing up in the darkness. "Is everypony alright?" she asked.

"Hold on, I can light up the room a bit," the Doctor called out. He activated his sonic screwdriver, the green light weak, but at least giving some vision to himself, Paige and the crew.

Lying motionless on the floor was the other crew member that had been next to Luke. Once Daniel saw him, he rushed to the pony's side, kneeling down. "Nicole, are you alright?" he asked, applying pressure with a hoof on different parts of Nicole's body. Daniel looked up at the captain. “She's dead."

Ruby closed her eyes, bowing her head. "The survivor must have killed her during the blackout."

"The... the other survivors! They're gone!" Luke pointed at the now empty beds, causing a gasp to emit from everyone in the room.

"With how the first one acted, we have to assume that all of them are like that," Ruby said. "There's no time to mourn Nicole; we need a plan. Something down on that planet made these survivors go insane."

"They've already killed one of us," Luke said. "I say we abandon the ship. There's no point in risking our lives."

"Captain, normally I'd despise any being for saying something like that, but after seeing the frozen planet and the survivors, in this one case I have to agree. I can get you all off using my ship," the Doctor told Ruby.

"While both of you share a perfectly fine idea, there's one problem," Ruby replied. "This ship may be just for exploration, scouting, and routine jobs, but we have to be able to defend ourselves. I must remind you, Luke, that the Wanderer is equipped with several advanced nuclear devices. The survivors are insane, but still clever enough to have escaped this room. If they get control of the ship, they could take it anywhere."

"So even you sweet, peaceful ponies end up carrying guns," the Doctor said under his breath.

"For centuries before we even dreamed of space travel, there was no war on our world, Doctor," Ruby said, hearing the comment. "We met peaceful species when we began to travel in space, but we also discovered that the universe was not as peaceful as our worlds. You should know all this anyways… I'm really beginning to question who you are."

"Believe me when I say I'm not from around here, not an actual pony," the Doctor replied. "But I am here to help. I don't know what happened here, or if it's connected to me or anything else I've seen, but I do know that there's no time for you or I to continue explaining what the other would like to know. How do we abandon ship without risking control of the weaponry?"

Ruby paused for a moment, then sighed. "I’d go back to the idea of attacking the survivors, but we have a small crew and little weaponry beyond ship-to-ship combat. Escape and containment is still our best option. We need to manually activate the ship's self-destruct sequence, it's the only way,” she explained. "For security purposes, there are two activation stations, one on the bridge and one in the engine room. Doctor, I want you and your friend to come with me to the bridge, Luke and Daniel, you go to engineering. I'll get on the com to make sure that our tinkerer is still alright down there."

Ruby made her way across the room to the communications panel, which was thankfully untouched and still working. "This is Captain Ruby calling chief engineer," Ruby said as she pressed a hoof to the panel. "Is everything alright down there?"

"This is Rufus," a male voice replied over the com. Based on the Doctor's version of earth, the voice had a Scottish accent. "I'm showing errors on several lighting panels across the ship, but nothing wrong here. Something happen captain?"

"The survivors from the planet have gone insane, we already have one crew member down," Ruby explained. "We have no choice but to activate the self-destruct protocol. Daniel and Luke will be on their way soon to engineering, and I'm headed for the bridge. Stay alert, the survivors are dangerous."

"Roger that," Rufus replied, cutting off the com.

"Luke, it sounds like the survivors are smashing lighting panels as they go, do we have any flashlights stored somewhere nearby?" Ruby asked, turning away from the com panel.

"There's a bin, just down the hallway a bit," Luke said. "Doctor, can you bring your... light thing and help me get them?"

The doctor nodded, and the two left the room for a moment, discovering the hallway outside to be dark as well. They returned holding several bands, each with a small light attached.

"These go around your head," Ruby told the Doctor and Paige. "Turn them on with a tap of the hoof. I'll help you put them on."

Ruby's horn began to glow, and the bands levitated in to the air, wrapping around each pony's forehead gently. The Doctor tapped his light with a hoof to activate it, then turned off his sonic screwdriver. "That is amazingly convenient," the Doctor said. "I'd love to have a horn."

"Many ponies say that, but earth ponies and pegasi have qualities that we admire and wish for," Ruby said. "You earth ponies have a way of adapting to situations that unicorns just don't."

"And pegasi?"

"Well, pegasus ponies can fly, and to use your word, that's brilliant."

"I quite agree."

"Now, stay close to who you're traveling with, and stay alert. We know these survivors have gone insane, we know they're strong, and we know they're clever. Let's make sure we don't allow them to do any more harm."

 

**

 

Daniel and Luke slowly walked together through the dark halls, shining their lights in different directions. The survivors had covered quite a large distance of the ship, destroying light panels as they went, causing the lights in most of the hallways to short-circuit and cut out. Their ears were perked, and their eyes constantly moved around, taking special care to see or hear any movement.

"Well, this is quite the change from the normal routine," Luke mentioned, using small talk to keep calm.

"Get married, then go see the stars, that was our plan and we did it," Daniel replied.

"And I wasn't regretting that plan until now," Luke said, chuckling.

"Which part are you regretting, the travel or the marriage?"

"Shut up, you know what I meant." Luke playfully punched Daniel in the side.

"Of course I did. But seeing that blush on your face right now was worth it."

A sudden sound caused both colts to freeze in their tracks. Their voices hushed, and their lights slowly pivoted around, searching for any sign of the noise. Daniel cautiously turned around, his light shining on the colt that he had spoken to in the medical bay.

The survivor lunged forward, tackling Daniel to the ground. "Daniel!" Luke yelled, rushing to try and help.

 

**

 

"So, who are you really, Doctor? Now that my life is partially in your hooves," Ruby asked, making her way to the bridge with the Doctor and Paige. The halls guiding them were also dark, only a few lights left working.

"I'm a traveler from an alternate universe."

Ruby laughed. "I had hoped the answer would make sense, but given today's events, that didn't seem likely. Have you seen anything like this before?"

"Hard to say, there are lots of possibilities," the Doctor replied. "The frozen planet I was beginning to accept, but what could have caused them to go insane?"

"Maybe such a quick temperature drop caused some damage to their brain," Paige suggested.

"I don't think so, because outside of their insanity, they seem to get the task they want done just fine. They’re functional. It's like someone forced them into insanity."

"We're back on the theory that somepony or some other being intentionally caused this?" Ruby said.

"Most likely."

After a left turn, the three found themselves only a short distance from the bridge. The room was mildly lit up by the space outside of the windows. On the floor laid on of the earth pony survivors, who was curled up in to a ball, on his side and rocking back and forth. The three could hear whispers of some sort.

"I have a stunning gun stashed on the bridge, right by the entryway," Ruby whispered.

"This is a different survivor, we have to at least give him a chance to be calm," the Doctor said. "One of us needs to try and talk to him while you get your stunner. Don't use it unless he attacks."

"Agreed, revenge for my fallen crew member can wait if possible."

"Remind me to kiss you later for saying that," the Doctor replied.

"I'm quite alright, Doctor, but I appreciate your admiration of being peaceful."

"I'll talk to the survivor," Paige said.

The Doctor blinked in surprise. “Are you sure, Paige?”

"I may not be very social, but I'm good at talking. I would always help customers in the library."

"Alright. We'll be right behind you… but be careful."

Paige took the lead of the group, stepping lightly towards the ship's bridge. Before walking through the doorway, she poked her head in, making sure there were no more survivors hiding in the room. When she felt sure, she stepped in, approaching the colt rocking on the floor.

"It's ok," Paige said softly. "I'm a friend. I can help you."

"H-how..." the colt said, continuing to stare at the floor.

"We'll get through this together," Paige replied.

"H-how did all this happen..." It was now clear that the survivor was yet to listen to Paige's words. "It came... it destroyed... we couldn't do anything. Chaos..."

"But you're safe now," Paige whispered, gently placing a hoof on the colt's shoulder. "It's alright."

The survivor at last looked at Paige, his eyes wide. His look of fear turned to a smile. "That's what you think."

The survivor rolled on to his hooves and lunged at Paige, stopped by an electric shock that covered his entire body. The colt screamed, reeling back, then fell to the floor.

Paige and the Doctor had snuck in the room, managing to reach the gun while the survivor was distracted. "He's not dead, just unconscious. Unfortunately, taking him with us isn't an option," Ruby said, speaking at a normal volume again. "Whatever happened down there, these survivors aren't ponies any more. They've been infected, controlled, something; but they're not us."

Paige had stepped back in fear when the survivor had come after her, and her heart was still pounding. "I... I really thought... I could help him..."

"It's alright Paige," the Doctor said, approaching her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Ruby is right, they're not the same any more. Nothing can help them."

Ruby walked up to the communications panel, activating it with a hoof. "Ruby to engineering, I've reached the bridge, one of the survivors is up here but contained. Have Daniel and Luke arrived yet?"

"Rufus here," Rufus replied over the com. "They both just got here, but Daniel is in bad shape."

Ruby bowed her head. "Get me Luke."

A few moments later, a different but familiar voice replaced Rufus. "Luke here, Captain..." Luke's voice was slow, and all three on the bridge recognized terrible sorrow in the colt's voice. "We were attacked on our way to engineering. We stopped the survivor, but Daniel got bit hard. The wound is deep... he's bleeding pretty bad... I tried to stop the survivor..."

"Luke, this wasn't your fault," Ruby replied her voice calm yet forceful. "Keep pressure on that wound and prepare the self-destruct sequence. And stay alert; we've only encountered two of the four survivors."

"R-roger, captain," Luke said. "Twenty seconds."

The com switched off, and Ruby moved to a different panel on the bridge. She began punching in multiple codes. "Once this starts, we need to run for the cargo bay. There should be no way of stopping the self-destruct."

"Should be?" the Doctor replied.

"We can't be sure, but we don't have a choice. Get ready to move."

 

**

 

Luke sat down next to Daniel, Rufus using his magic to move things around in the engine room, blocking all but one exit in case other survivors were waiting.

"I don't think... I'll make it, Luke." All Daniel could manage was a whisper. He coughed several times, the blood loss already great.

"Don't say that, we're getting out of here. No more star exploring for a while," Luke replied, using all his strength just to keep his voice reassuring. He helped Daniel put pressure on his hind leg, using his other front hoof to hold up Daniel's head.

"The self-destruct... it's too short of a sequence. You and I both know that you couldn't get me to the cargo bay in time."

"But-"

"No buts, you get out of here and keep right on going." Daniel coughed again, his strength to even keep his eyes open fading. "I love you..."

Luke pulled Daniel close to him, holding him as tight as he could. Tears silently streamed down his face, acceptance of reality beginning to hit him.

"Captain, we're out of time, I'm ready down here," Rufus said in to the com.

Back on the bridge, Ruby slammed her hooves on the console, in disbelief of what she saw. "Rufus, the survivor that was up here must have sabotaged the self-destruct. I can't code in the sequence on my end."

Rufus looked back at Daniel and Luke, then sighed. "Looks like somepony is going to have to stick around and blow up the engine."

"Rufus, we can find another way, are you-"

"Hold on." Rufus spun around at the sound of clanging metal. Luckily, the remaining survivors hadn't discovered the one open passageway, but they were trying to break through a different one.

"Captain, I'll say it again, we're out of time," Rufus said, returning to the com. "Act like the self-destruct has activated. Run as fast as you can, get out before the ship goes."

"Rufus, you know we can't teleport you, the teleport controls are nowhere near the cargo bay."

"Understood captain, get running."

"... Good luck, Rufus."

"Rufus out."

Rufus leaned his head down on the console, tuning out the sound of the blocked entryway slowly being broken down.

"I'll stay."

Rufus turned around to see Luke, still holding Daniel and staring right at him. "You two need to leave," Rufus replied.

"There's no way Daniel could get there in time. I'm staying here with him. Blowing up an engine is a lot simpler than maintaining one."

"I appreciate the offer, but if there's any chance you two love birds are getting off here alive, I'm making it happen," Rufus replied. "I'm glad I studied magic for a couple years."

Luke blinked. "What does that mean?"

"This."

 

**

 

The Doctor, Paige and Ruby ran as fast as they could, Ruby leading the way, directing her light at the turns they needed to take. "Rufus will wait as long as he can before this ship goes, but I don't know how long that is," Ruby shouted. "We're almost to the cargo bay."

Turn by turn, the three arrived at the cargo bay doors, and Ruby opened them quickly. The survivors had not touched this area, all the lights were still working, and the TARDIS was right where it should be.

"Alright all, plenty of room, trust me, let's get inside and get out of here."

"Luke? Daniel?"

Ruby discovered Luke and Daniel just a short distance away from the TARDIS, leaning against a crate. Luke was holding Daniel tightly, still putting pressure on his wound. "I tried to make Rufus leave in my place, I didn't want to leave Daniel," Luke began. "Rufus teleported us. He used magic."

"Rufus knows teleportation magic?" Ruby stared at the pair in disbelief, having only expected one of them to arrive. "Doesn't matter now, he did his part to try and save you both, and so will we. I'll help you carry Daniel, we need to leave, now."

Not wanting to use magic to lift Daniel in fear of injuring him more, she ran to Luke's side and helped lift Daniel up on to their backs. The two walked in unison, the Doctor already inside the TARDIS and Paige holding the door open, rushing them in.

 

**

One of the blocked entryways was almost entirely broken down, causing Rufus to get closer to the engine. "Damn, wish I’d gotten married. Would have been a great excuse to leave," he said. "Well Rufus, you did good. Met a few fine mares, wooed them, had a good life. And I'm sure I've made a way to be remembered now." He chuckled. “If only there was time to teleport myself out too.”

The blockade finally gave in, and the two remaining survivors appeared, glaring at Rufus as they slowly approached.

"You can't stop anything," one of the survivors said, his voice harsh and chilling. "He can go anywhere, do anything. He's already killed more."

"I have no idea who the hell you're talkin’ about, sir," Rufus replied. "But I can sure as hell stop something. You two."

The two survivors paused in their movement, unsure of what Rufus meant.

"It's just like Luke said," Rufus began. "Quite easy to blow up an engine."

 

**

 

"How much blood has he lost?" Ruby asked.

The Doctor began piloting the TARDIS, getting it off the Wanderer and a safe distance away. The sound of an explosion was heard outside the TARDIS doors, and the ship rocked slightly from the shock wave.

"Quite a lot, I don't know if he's dead," Luke replied, his voice frantic.

Now that the TARDIS and all of them were safe, the Doctor rushed to Daniel, scanning the pegasus with his sonic screwdriver. "He's still alive, but he needs compatible blood right now, he's lost too much to wait," he said. "Captain, you can perform the procedure with your magic, no way my hooves are going to cut it, but I can show you."

"I'll manage," Ruby said. "Luke, do you have the same blood type?"

"I don't think so," Luke said.

The Doctor scanned Luke as well as Ruby. “Luke doesn’t, neither do you Ruby, and believe me when I say that my blood won't work..." the Doctor paced in thought, trying to think of another way. "We don't have any time."

"What about me?" Paige asked.

 

**

 

Ruby Stood in front of the TARDIS, the Doctor between her and the doors. "I wish there was more time to talk to you. I didn't even notice your ship was bigger on the inside until after we got Daniel off it."

"We may meet again; keep an eye out for this blue box," the Doctor replied, grinning.

"I hope we do. On behalf of Luke, thank you, Doctor. We're eternally grateful for your help. Luke would say that personally, but I don't think anything could get him to leave Daniel's side right now. Those two are perfect for each other."

"Daniel's doing alright then?"

"He's in a proper hospital bed, thanks to you getting us back to one of our planets, and he'll recover," Ruby told him. "The procedure you helped me perform kept him stable. Will Paige be alright?"

"She's a bit woozy, but she'll be just fine in a little while, once her body catches up," the Doctor replied. "But she and I have to be off. You're safe for now, but tell others about what happened, and stay alert. We still don't know what's out there."

"And you're going to try and find it? You’re much more than a doctor, but I don’t know where your limits lie."

The Doctor took a breath. "I shouldn't even be here, the frozen planet should be impossible, apparently my coming here was foretold by who knows what," the Doctor began. "There's a lot of impossible happening around me right now, and I don't know whether everything is connected, but I'm going to try and find out."

Ruby nodded and held out a front hoof. "Good luck, Doctor. We'll keep an eye out for you."

The Doctor raised a front hoof and touched it to hers, understanding the custom now. "Good luck, captain."

Turning away, the Doctor entered the TARDIS, leaving Ruby on the planet. Ruby watched as the mysterious blue box faded out of existence, and she turned to enter the hospital once more.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor slowly worked controls, keeping the ship from shaking too much since Paige was still recovering.

"How are you, Paige?" the Doctor asked, Paige entering the control room.

"Still a bit off, but much better," Paige replied. "That juice you gave me is working wonders."

"That was very brave of you to help," the Doctor said, grinning at Paige as she approached the console. "Thank you."

"I've watched you save so many already, I figured it was the least I could do," Paige said. "So, where to now?"

"Not sure..." the Doctor moved to the console monitor, looking at some readings. "Back when we first met, on Earth, I think there may be a connection between that event and the frozen planet. It's a long shot, a wacky theory, but you never know."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Could be either, I don't know what's going on yet... hold on, what's that?"

The Doctor looked more closely at the monitor, some new readings appearing that he had never seen before. "I'm reading a strange energy signature, something's happening inside the TARDIS. I've never seen readings like this. The TARDIS has recorded them before though, apparently these readings came up when..."

Paige saw the Doctor's eyes widen and took a step closer. "When did they show up before?"

"When I landed in this universe."

A bright light and loud zapping sound came from behind Paige and the Doctor. Both spun around, finding a two legged being standing there. The alien fell to his knees; it was clear that the alien was injured somehow.

"Doctor, what is that?"

"That's... that's an ood," the Doctor replied. "But how did he get here?"

The Doctor ran across the room, helping the ood gently lay on the floor. The ood grabbed the sphere he used to communicate and activated it. "Doctor..."

"I'm here," the Doctor said, holding the ood's head with his front hooves, looking down at him. "How did you arrive? This is a completely different universe."

"I have come to warn you Doctor," the ood replied, his voice slow. "The frozen planet... it is not the only planet that has been attacked."

"How can you know this?"

"Even after the Master was defeated, our abilities continued to accelerate," the ood explained. "We have seen you, and we have seen the creature. We have seen... the end of all things."

The ood's eyes began to close, but the Doctor shook him slightly. "Stay with me!" the Doctor shouted. "Why are you injured? What is this creature? You're saying a creature caused that planet to freeze, that it's been to other places?"

"It came from the void, Doctor..." the ood said. "And now the ood are no more."

The Doctor watched as the ood went limp in his hooves, his eyes now unable to reopen. The Doctor slowly dropped the ood's head, then stood up, backing away until he was against the wall of the room.

Paige had watched the whole course of events in confusion, now terrified of what was happening. "Doctor, that... ood. Was it-"

"From my universe, yes," the Doctor said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Those beetles, they were from your universe too," Paige mentioned. "And given what the ood said, maybe events  _are_  connected in some way. What does all this mean?"

"It means this universe isn't the only one in danger," the Doctor said. "Whatever thing the ood saw, it killed them. That was a bad move on its part, because it destroyed something that I loved."

"We have to find whatever this thing is before it kills more," Paige said. "But how?"

The Doctor moved from the wall, returning to the TARDIS console. He grazed a hoof over the controls. "I don't know..." he breathed, bowing his head. "Whatever it is, it knows how to travel to my universe, despite the dimensional distance between yours and mine. It could be anywhere in time and space, and in either universe, possibly more."

"Is there anywhere we can start?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Yes," he said, an idea striking him. He rushed to the monitor, looking at the readings again. "When the ood crossed over to this universe, however it did so, the energy reading matched the one that happened when I arrived. The energy reading is very specific, so specific that there's a signature left behind even after it occurs. We can track other things that have come through, and that might help us find clues."

The Doctor manipulated a few controls; the lights in the room flickered slightly from the power requirements of the scan. "I see three other readings besides mine and the ood's that I can find. All on earth, one of them is the beetles we already encountered. That leaves two signatures to examine."

"Which one should we do first?"

"There's one that happened six years after you left Earth with me, so pretty close to your timeline. We may have to stick around a while, I won't be able to locate exactly what came through or when it did."

"We better get going."

"Hang on tight, Paige."


	7. Chaos

_Earth_  
_Appleoosa_  
_Six years after the South London incident_

 

Piano keys played softly in the corner of the bar, adding to the quiet mumbles of customers. Unicorns played pool while earth ponies used both front hooves to throw darts. The dark wooden building was dimly lit, more electricity going in to the fans that kept everypony cooled off.

The Doctor sat on a stool at the bar counter, slowly drinking a hard apple cider that many ponies had suggested to him. The Doctor and Paige had been in this town for several days, patiently exploring and observing in hope of finding whatever came through from the Doctor's universe into this town.

A handsome, mildly dark blue stallion with an even darker blue mane and tail entered the bar and approached the counter, deciding to sit next to the Doctor. The stranger was an earth pony, a bit taller than the Doctor and more masculine.

The Doctor paid no attention, and the stallion quietly ordered a beverage. Once his drink arrived, he began casually glancing over at the Doctor, moving his gaze elsewhere whenever the Doctor tried returning the glance.

After a few more moments, the stallion put on a smile and turned to the Doctor. "You look like you could use another one of those. How about I get you one on my tab?"

The Doctor didn't even look at the stallion who just spoke; he simply froze, his thoughts racing on what he just heard. Luckily his mug was only an inch off the counter when it fell out of his hooves.

_That voice..._

The Doctor fell out of his stool when he tried to get up, frantically getting to his hooves as he stared wide-eyed at the stallion in front of him, in complete disbelief. "...Jack!"

Jack got off his stool and stood in front of the Doctor, now cautious of the brown stallion in front of him. "How did you already know my name?"

"How is this even... Jack!"

"I'm not messing around, how do you know who I am?" Jack's tone was serious.

"I can't believe it... you're Jack Harkness!"

"Ok, I've had enough of this."

Jack threw a front hoof around the Doctor's neck and yanked him forward, kissing him. The Doctor's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and he pawed at Jack's chest, trying to push him away. A few ponies in the bar looked over, but cared little about what was happening.

Jack held his ground a few seconds more, then pulled away, causing both ponies to nearly stumble over. "But that's... Doctor?" Jack said, panting for breath.

The Doctor nodded, regaining his balance. "It's me. And you're Jack Har... hold on." The Doctor paused, looking curiously at Jack. "Do you kiss people now to determine if you've met them?"

"I've kissed most of the people I've met."

The Doctor shrugged. "Fair point."

"Doctor!"

"Gah!"

The Doctor leapt in shock and knocked over a stool when he heard Paige at the bar entrance, standing with a scared look on her face. Now all ponies in the bar had stopped talking, the piano stopped playing, all eyes were on them.

"Paige! Hello!" The Doctor said as he struggled to recollect himself and stand the stool up again, his cheeks turning a deep red. "W-what are you doing here?"

Paige's look of fear turned in to confusion. "Are you alright, Doctor?" she asked. "Who's that colt?" Paige added, noticing that the blue pony next to the Doctor was staring at her as well.

"Him? Oh, he's just a friend, really, we're just friends, that's all," the Doctor replied, his voice rapid.

"Um... ok, I'm just going to leave that," Paige said. "I just thought I'd let you know there are some lizards outside. From space. Breathing fire."

Other ponies in the bar began whispering after that comment, and moved towards the windows, looking around then ducking beneath the windows in fear.

"Oh, really?" the Doctor said, his voice still rapid. "Well that's interesting."

Neither Paige or the Doctor moved. Paige became even more confused, and the Doctor kept his nervous smile.

"I was just thinking that you might want to... stop the fire breathing space lizards? Maybe?"

The Doctor blinked, then shook his head when he managed to process what Paige said. "Right! Um, yes, I would love to stop fire breathing space lizards, I just need a moment with my friend here," the Doctor said. "Run along and find a lot of water, I'll get to the TARDIS and figure something out."

Paige slowly backed out of the door. "Ok then, I'll just leave you two..." she said, exiting the bar.

All other ponies in the bar had looked outside, seen the lizards, and were now hiding by the windows or under tables. The only two ponies standing now were the Doctor and Jack Harkness, side by side, staring at the door.

A long moment of silence passed between the two before either spoke. Jack finally turned his head slightly.

"Is she-"

"No, she's actually a pony," the Doctor replied, still staring at the door.

"Ok then," Jack said, nodding and returning his gaze to the door as well.

"How about we talk to each other about how we turned in to ponies later, and go stop the fire breathing space lizards?"

"Sounds like a plan, Doctor. Can't say I've ever fought aliens with hooves though."

 

**

 

After a plan that involved the sonic screwdriver, lots of water and a few more bananas, the town was safe, and the lizards fled back in to space. The Doctor, Paige and Jack walked in to the TARDIS, tired but alive and well.

"So, who is this that helped us? And seems to have no problem with seeing fire breathing space lizards and your own alien ship," Paige said.

"This is what crossed from the other side, from my universe," the Doctor replied. "Our search is over. Paige, meet-"

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack interrupted, smiling at Paige and holding out a hoof.

"Don't," the Doctor said, staring at Jack.

"Again, just saying hello," Jack said, turning his head towards the Doctor.

"What's the problem? I rather like him," Paige said, holding out a hoof to greet Jack in return. "I'm Paige Turner. You're quite good with fire breathing space lizards."

"I'm quite good at a lot more, too," Jack replied, chuckling.

"Ok, you can say hello, but stop now," the Doctor said, purposefully walking in between the other two.

Jack rolled his eyes, gave Paige one more smile and a wink, getting a blush out of her, then walked up to the TARDIS console with the Doctor. "How long has it been? Around a hundred or so years since I last saw you."

"It's been longer than that for me, which means you've started to meet me in the wrong order," the Doctor replied.

"I figured that. I noticed a couple times that I had to keep my mouth shut, I've met you a couple times when you hadn't heard of things we'd done."

"Well, I'm glad you prevented causing any massive universe-breaking paradoxes, thank you."

"Wait a minute, a hundred years," Paige chimed in. "Are you like him? Do you regenerate?"

"Not exactly..." the Doctor said.

"He's a time lord, I'm what we call human," Jack began. "Now typically, humans are like you, they live, die, go about their days like normal, but I'm the odd one out. When the Doctor regenerates it's like dying for him, and it's possible for him to die. Not me."

Paige paused. "You... can't die?"

"I die, I come back, I heal," Jack explained. "Call it a blessing, call it a curse, to be honest I'm not sure which I call it yet, but now I'm a pony. That's something worth investigating, brand new."

"How long have you been here?" the Doctor asked.

"A couple months," Jack replied. "I've still got my vortex manipulator," he added, holding up his left front hoof to show it off. "But I didn't want to risk using it here, I'm not sure what it would do. From what I've heard we're in a parallel universe?"

"Exactly."

"And you've got a cutie mark."

"I regenerated, apparently regenerating does the trick."

"Oh, you don't have one," Paige noticed, looking at Jack's hips. "You definitely appear rather old to not have one, what do you tell ponies?"

"I tell them that my cutie mark would be too obscene to have, and that typically leads the conversation in a different direction," Jack said, grinning.

Paige gasped, her previous blush returning and turning several shades deeper.

"You know, I almost predicted exactly what you were going to say," the Doctor said.

"Come on, Doctor, you had to have fantasized about me at some point in all this time."

"I'm a married man, Jack, I tend not to fantasize about other people."

"You're married?" Paige looked at the Doctor, quite surprised to hear that.

The Doctor looked back at Paige, frozen. "I thought I told you."

"There's that one you've talked about quite a lot, but I never thought... I mean, I guess I just assumed..." Paige hadn't considered a single thought about deeper feelings for the Doctor than friendship, yet the news still came as a surprise to her.

"Time travel, things get complicated, but she's alright, just not with me at the moment," the Doctor said. "Anyways, Jack, how did you get to be here?"

Jack took a breath, sitting down. The Doctor and Paige sat down as well.

"It was the 50th century, our universe. I wanted to try new things, ended up getting hired on an archaeology team. When we were out in space, the ship detected a powerful temporal storm nearby. I went out in a shuttle on my own, given that I couldn't really take personal damage from the storm, and when I went in, everything went crazy. Next thing I knew, the shuttle was crashed, and I had blue fur and hooves."

"A temporal storm... the same thing happened to me," the Doctor said. "Whatever is causing fractures in the fabric of space and time, it must be leaving behind a residual effect. These temporal storms act as one-way gates. We're not the only things that have come in from our universe."

"The question is, Doctor, has the reverse effect happened?"

The Doctor looked away from Jack, letting out a sigh. "It came from the void, and now the ood are no more."

"What? Ood? I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Now they're dead, all of them," the Doctor said, facing Jack again. "You wanted to know if something came from here to our universe. I still don't know, but there's something out there, sinister, causing the fractures, causing destruction."

Jack grew more serious, frowning slightly. "So, what do we do? How do we stop whatever's out there?"

"I still don't know."

All three jumped when the TARDIS suddenly shook violently, causing Paige to stumble over while Jack and the Doctor barely held on to the console.

"What the hell was that?" Jack said.

The Doctor regained balance, then rushed to the TARDIS door, swinging it open. "What?"

"What happened? Did we move?" Paige asked.

"We didn't, the town did."

"What do you mean, the entire town?"

Paige and Jack joined the Doctor at the door, looking outside to see barren desert. "How is that possible?" Jack said.

"We haven't moved, but the entire town has either vaporized, which would be fearsomely quick power, or teleported somewhere else, which is almost just as scary."

"It seems like we're not finding any answers, just getting more and more problems," Jack replied.

"Yes, but there's a pony we can talk to. The princess."

The Doctor walked back inside, moving to the console and beginning to start the TARDIS's movement.

"The princess? I've heard about her, but how do you expect to just go into her castle and talk to her?" Jack asked, closing the TARDIS doors.

"Paige, you did tell me that alicorns live extremely long lives, correct?"

"Yes," Paige said. "Princess Celestia has been here as long as our written history."

"Then in that case, Jack, I've already met the princess, and she seemed to already know me even before that," the Doctor explained, flipping one final lever to get the TARDIS in motion.

 

**

 

Celestia sat on her throne in Canterlot Castle, her eyes closed, her mind struggling with the force she just felt shake her land. Powerful magic was near, and she was unable to detect it in time and attempt to stop the deed that was already done. He was beginning to gain power.

Royal guards around the room became alert when a strange sound began to fill the room. A tall, blue box began fading into existence, only a short distance down the carpet leading to Celestia's throne.

"Princess, stay back, there's an intruder!" a unicorn guard shouted, raising a spear with his magic.

"No! Stand down! I know who this is!" Celestia shouted in reply, raising to her hooves. The guards looked confused but did not disobey Celestia's orders.

After several seconds more, the blue box became reality, the doors facing Celestia's throne. As the double doors opened, Celestia smiled wide, seeing the familiar face she had finally met back in the griffon kingdom.

"Doctor," Celestia greeted, nodding as the tan pony entered the room. "I thought I might see you soon."

"Hello princess, it's been a while. Longer for you, by quite a bit, but still, great to see you again."

"You were right about me hearing of your presence in 300 years, thank you for saving South London," Celestia said. "Is Paige still with you?"

"Hello princess," Paige said, stepping out of the TARDIS, bowing down.

Celestia chuckled. "Please, no need to bow to me Paige," she told her. "You are just as important as the Doctor or me."

"Wow, you are quite a beauty," Jack said, exiting the TARDIS. "Although I must say, I pictured you to be a lot shorter."

"Oh, and who's this flatterer?" Celestia asked.

"Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you your highness," Jack replied.

"As glad as I am to see you all here, your arrival must mean that you already know about Appleoosa," Celestia said. Her tone grew more solemn, the discussion of more important matters taking precedence.

"We were there, actually, looking for something. Jack Harkness typically isn't a pony either, he came from my universe."

"The ponies of Appleoosa are safe, however their entire town is in a completely different region of Equestria," Celestia explained. "We felt the magic fluctuation immediately and investigated."

"Hold on, I have to ask... we?" the Doctor said.

Another alicorn, shorter than Celestia but still far taller than the three ponies in front of the TARDIS, entered from a corner of the room. Her body was a dark blue, her mane and tail flowing and sparkling as if it was made from the night sky.

"I thought you said you were the only one left?"

"It's a long story, Doctor, unfortunately one we do not have time for," Celestia said. "This is my sister, princess Luna. She was gone for... quite some time, but she has returned, and we are ruling together again."

"It is an honor to meet you at last, Doctor. Celestia and I were told of your coming long ago," Luna said, moving to stand next to her sister.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, princess," the Doctor replied. "So, it's just you two?"

"There are other alicorns, but none of natural birth," Celestia explained. "Some are chosen to be royalty, and undergo a magical process to become similar to my sister and I."

"That's something else before we go too far, I'd love to have magic explained," the Doctor said, taking a slight step forward.

Celestia nodded to her sister, and Luna walked towards one of the large windows in the room, looking outside as she began to explain.

"In every universe, there exists an energy field that permeates all of space and time. In some universes, such as ours, this field is more prominent, and some creatures evolve with capabilities of manipulating that field. For us, it is unicorns and alicorns that are capable of such a feat, and even as science improves, we still believe that magic is a fitting name. Some incredible miracles have happened thanks to this energy field."

The Doctor began to pace back and forth. "Ok... understanding, yet surprised that I never heard of this field before, perhaps it's undetectable in our universe. So Appleoosa, you said you felt the disturbance, those with magic can feel and detect manipulations of this energy?"

"Not all, my sister and I have much stronger magic than most," Celestia replied. "However, our magic does not compare to the creature who caused this."

"And what creature is that?"

"A draconequus."

Paige gasped and turned to her left, looking at one of the stained-glass windows. She stared at the depiction of one of Equestria's most dangerous enemies and began to fear what was happening now much more.

"Did this creature come from the void?"

"The empty gap between universes, yes. His name is Chaos."

_“Our planet has fallen to chaos,” the captain told the Doctor._

_"It came... it destroyed... we couldn't do anything. Chaos..."_

The Doctor just had his suspicions confirmed. He blinked, unable to comprehend the power that this creature had.

"We have encountered a draconequus before, by the name of Discord," Celestia began. "That is when we learned that these creatures are born in the void. They live there, the void is the realm of their existence, until they break out and come to ours."

"A creature that lives in the void? I didn't think that was possible," the Doctor said.

"Neither did we."

"Discord was manageable," Luna continued, returning to her sister's side. "He began to devastate our world, but we stopped him, trapped him, and managed to stop him again when he escaped. Later, we even befriended Discord. He began using his powers to help us, but now Discord is dead."

"Discord was merely a child by standards of his species," Celestia explained. "Chaos is far older, far more powerful. When he first arrived, Discord alerted us, then Chaos killed him."

"So, these creatures are born in the void, then come in to the known universe and begin to wreak havoc," the Doctor said, trying to piece things together in his mind.

"They are not bound by space and time, they travel through the void and into any universe they wish."

"And when they travel between universes, they cause temporal storms, making one-way gateways, that's how I got here..." the Doctor said, continuing to talk to himself.

"When they first break free of the void, it takes them a massive amount of energy. Then, every time they use their powers to create some sort of destruction, the energy they recharge afterwards gets larger and larger," Luna said.

"So they cause more and more chaos, they tear more and more holes in space and time, causing instability, and eventually that means..." The Doctor's eyes widened, and he backed up against the TARDIS doors, sliding down them until he was sitting on the floor.

"Doctor, what does all this mean, what do they want?" Jack asked.

"It's not just this universe that's in danger," the Doctor said. "Or my universe. It's every universe."

"We reached the same conclusion," Celestia said.

All were silent for several moments, the weight of the situation bearing down on them.

"The creatures are born out of nothing, all they desire is for the universes to fall in to their realm, where only chaos and disharmony exists," Luna said. "If we can't stop Chaos, then all of reality will collapse from the tears in space and time."

"That is why we need you, Doctor," Celestia continued. "My usual defenses are useless against Chaos. We will help however we can, but you are our only hope of saving everything."

_"In that case, there isn't hope for you."_

All were startled and froze in place when a sinister voice echoed through the room.

"Chaos..." Celestia said, trying to find any trace of him.

 _"Quite correct, Celestia,"_ the voice echoed in reply. _"How have you been since I killed that traitor?"_

"Discord was kind, you did not have to kill him," Luna shouted, helping her sister try and discover any source for the voice.

 _"Oh, it was quite necessary, and all of you will be next,"_  the voice replied.

"We can help you, Chaos," the Doctor said. "Even if your existence comes from the void, that's still nothing but emptiness. No creature can handle the effects for long.

 _"Oh, but I thrive in nothingness, even a time lord is far too primitive to understand where I reside,"_  Chaos said, his voice still echoing throughout the room.  _"And soon, so will every other living thing in all of space and time. First, however, I'll need you dead. You have far too much universe energy coursing through your body, keeping you in your current state, but I'll find a more indirect way."_

"You'd have to go through me before you even try getting the Doctor," Jack shouted, angrily turning this way and that, looking for who was speaking.

 _"Now you, you are rather interesting,"_ Chaos said.  _"Jack Harkness, very interesting indeed. You appear to have unfinished business, I won't bother trying to kill you."_

"Show yourself, Chaos!" Celestia yelled, her horn beginning to glow a bright yellow.

 _"Oh, but this is too fun!"_  Chaos replied.

"So far you've only damaged the unsuspecting and innocent," the Doctor said, taking a few steps forward. "I think you'll be surprised when you encounter me."

 _"Oh Doctor, I have so much to do first, so much energy to build up,"_  Chaos said. _"I could manipulate a species of healers into despising pony kind, leaving many pony children and adults helpless, then I could make a planet fall into chaos and torment, I could freeze a whole world in minutes, and then I might just go to your universe and find a species you've taken a liking to."_

The Doctor bowed his head, every thought in Chaos's mind familiar. The Doctor knew he couldn't stop Chaos without interfering with his own time stream. The alien ponies, the tembars, the frozen planet, the ood, all of it was caused by Chaos. And the Doctor had already seen it happen.

_"And besides, Doctor, how do you plan to encounter me if you aren't even here?"_

_SNAP!_

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s Universe_  
_Earth_  
_London_  
_2013_

 

The Doctor leapt up, suddenly awake from having been knocked out by something incredibly powerful. He was on grass, in a small park, and the sounds of cars and people could be heard all around him.

Cars.

People.

"This is Earth!" the Doctor shouted to himself, frantically turning around again and again. "This is proper Earth! Chaos did more than just figure out which universe I was from, he sent me there. The TARDIS couldn't even find my universe… that is beyond powerful. But the TARDIS is still in the other universe... I'm stuck."

The Doctor saw a few people sitting at a picnic table not too far away and walked up to them. "Hello!" the Doctor said, smiling. "Would you mind helping me, I'm not sure exactly where I am."

When the three people at the picnic table saw the Doctor, they screamed and ran away. Several others nearby were frozen in fear, their eyes staring in disbelief.

The Doctor was confused until he looked down, seeing a pair of light brown hooves where his feet should be.

"I'm still a pony!" the Doctor shouted, turning his head to see his backside and tail still as they were in the other universe. "Well there's my first theory about this transformation out the window."

The Doctor quieted as he noticed the stares and frightened people around him, and his ears flattened.

"Right. Humans aren't really accustomed to talking ponies..."

The Doctor gasped when he felt a stinging feeling on the side of his neck, but before he could figure out what it was, he fell to the ground, unconscious again.

 

**

 

 _UNIT Headquarters_  
_2 hours later_

 

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, today's events were rather different," Colonel Hutchinson said, walking through the busy halls of UNIT HQ.

"Is the alien stable?"

"Yes, still unconscious," the colonel replied. "We detected a massive energy spike 10 miles south of here. When we located the source, we found him. We don't know what species he is, despite the striking resemblance to a horse, and we don't know his intentions. But that energy spike is what scares us; we need to know what else he is capable of."

The two continued through the halls, Hutchinson leading the way to where the alien was being held. When they arrived at the holding cell, the colonel stopped, turning to the one with him.

"I know this isn't your typical field, but we called you since you have the most experience in meeting and negotiating with alien life," Hutchinson said. "We don't want to harm him, but we need to know how he got here, and why he's here in the first place. Think you're up to it, Dr. Jones?"

Martha smiled. "Don't worry sir, I was taught by the best."

 


	8. Searching

_The Doctor's universe_  
_51st century_  
_Somewhere distant from Earth_

 

Two months. Two months had passed since Samantha had lost the Doctor in the temporal storm. She searched across space and time, checking major historical events on Earth and other planets she knew. The Doctor had given clues to her on how to find him, places to go, old friends of his to talk to, and she had finally found the gem of all clues. That clue led her here, and today she was going to talk to the Doctor.

The city she was in did not carry a friendly feeling. The city was black in every form; the buildings were old and rusted, a mild haze filled the streets, and Samantha found herself surrounded by black market dealers and other aliens that looked even more suspicious. Despite this being the exact-opposite kind of place the Doctor would want to visit, this was a perfect place to hide.

Samantha continued to wind her way through the streets, avoiding any crowds and heading straight for where she needed to go. She approached a small building, guarded by a gate and a rather large, muscular man with red skin. She had no idea what kind of alien it was, but right now she didn't care.

The man held out a hand, stopping Samantha's movement. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice deep and menacing.

"I need to speak to the Doctor."

 

**

 

 _The Doctor's Universe_  
_2013_  
_Earth_  
_UNIT Headquarters_

 

"Nnngh..."

The Doctor slowly awoke, his entire body aching. He tried to stretch and discovered that something was latched on to his hooves. He could move, but not much. He was chained down.

"Wha..."

Still groggy, the Doctor opened his eyes, seeing the specially adapted restraints that were holding him in a metal chair. He was in a small room, well lit, one door, no windows. There was someone in front of him, a woman, but his eyes were still hazy. He shook his head a bit, clearing himself up, then looked up and gasped at the woman in front of him.

"Don't worry, we have no intention of hurting you unless you give us reason," Martha said. "I'm Doctor Martha Jones. I work for an organization called UNIT, and our job is to protect this planet. You came to this planet unannounced, and when you did, we detected a massive energy reading. We just want to ask you a few questions, then you're free to go."

"Good old Martha Jones, keeping things peaceful around here still," the Doctor replied, smiling.

Martha leaned back, confused by the seemingly personal response. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."

"Well, you haven't met me like this yet. The last time I saw you I was saying goodbye, really. I was dying, it was time to start over again, and I wanted to do a farewell tour. You were running about with Mickey Smith, fighting a Sontaran. It's a good thing I always carry a hammer with me."

Martha's eyes slowly widened as she listened to the story told by the alien in front of her. She slowly leaned in, looking into this talking pony's eyes, now seeing how old the eyes looked. "...Doctor?"

"Martha Jones, great to see you again."

Martha gasped, reeling back in her chair and clasping her hands to her mouth for a moment. "Oh my god, Doctor! I can't believe it's you!" Martha jumped out of her chair, more excited than she had been in a long time. "I haven't seen you in... hold on..." Martha's smiling face turned in to a serious one again, and she crossed her arms as she leaned against one of the room's walls. "You turned into a talking pony."

The Doctor blushed, and shrugged slightly. "Yeah..."

"You're joking."

"No..."

"Do you ever stop getting more ridiculous?"

"Oh, if you think this is ridiculous, you should hear about how I saved a griffon kingdom from a plague of beetles using a banana."

Martha dropped her fake serious attitude, chuckling as she grinned at the Doctor once more. "Well, I don't think these restraints are necessary anymore." Martha walked to the Doctor's chair and released all restraints on the Doctor's hooves.

"Ah, that's much better," the Doctor said, stretching out and getting in to a more comfortable position on the chair. "What have you been up to since we last met?"

"Oh, I left UNIT for a while, I actually married Mickey Smith, then decided to come back to UNIT and make sure they were still running things properly."

"Really, married to Mickey?" the Doctor replied, surprised. "And yet you're still Jones?"

"Well, I kept my last name," Martha explained. "In case..."

"In case I ever popped in, looking for you?"

"Yeah, shut up," Martha said, giggling. "I understand why you don't visit, but there's still always that hope. What about you?"

"Oh, I stopped the Time Lords from returning and ending time, rebooted the entire universe, married my best friend's daughter, then got shot by the same woman, met an impossible girl, the usual," the Doctor said. "I had some more of the usual stuff after meeting the impossible girl that I won't get into, and the next thing I know, here I am as a talking pony."

Martha nodded. "Sounds about right. What are you doing here?"

The Doctor's happy demeanor slowly went away as he let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, I'm here against my own free will, I'm not where I need to be," the Doctor explained. "I was thrown into a parallel universe, that's when I got turned into a pony, and I need to get back there. What year is it?"

"2013."

The Doctor performed some mental math. "Rose's universe is very similar, only slightly ahead in technology. Which means by now UNIT is likely working on a dimension cannon?"

Martha blinked. "Well, that's supposed to be top secret, but you're still in the files as clear to see and know of anything we have."

"The problem with your dimension cannon technology is that it only works when there are tears in the fabric of the universes that shouldn't be there. It's not powerful enough to allow travel between universes seamlessly; there must be damage somewhere. And I guarantee you, there is damage right now. You're going to start getting results, and I need you to use it to send me back to where I got here from."

 

**

 

The man grunted at Samantha. "Well you're in the wrong place then," he said, glaring down at her.

Samantha sighed. "Look, just tell her my exact words. Tell her I need to speak to the Doctor, and I guarantee you she'll let me in."

The man rolled his eyes and motioned for another alien to block Samantha's path. He walked inside the building, and in less than a minute, returned with a change of heart.

"It seems you know the magic words," the man said, grunting once more. "Get out of my sight, you're welcome inside."

Samantha nodded, and hastily entered the building, leaving the sense of fear and anxiety she had in the street behind. After a walk through a hallway, she entered a room that was ten times cleaner than the rest of the town. Maps and charts covered the walls, and the woman Samantha was looking for was right there, across the room, sitting with her back turned.

"Doctor, my name is Samantha," Samantha began, slowly approaching her. "I've come to speak to you about an urgent matter."

"Actually, it's professor now, sweetie. But if you're looking for the Doctor, you absolutely have my help."

 

**

 

Martha escorted the Doctor through UNIT Headquarters, using her clearance to end up in a large, warehouse style room. Dozens of scientists in white lab coats moved about, working on different pieces of technology, ranging from hand held weaponry to devices that stood as high as the ceiling.

"What's that over there?" the Doctor asked, noticing a light green, half dome-shaped object that was at least 150 feet in diameter, with countless lights and computers around the bottom.

"Oh, that's project Emerald," Martha replied. "No idea if we'll even get it to work yet, but don't worry about it, it's not some big space gun."

Colonel Hutchinson came in to view, and he was rapidly approaching Martha and the Doctor. "Dr. Jones, I'd love to hear what this alien told you so that you'd grant him access to a top secret area."

"Colonel, this alien has proven to me that he's the Doctor. He just, sort of... became a pony before he got here."

"The Doctor?" Hutchinson was dumbfounded.

"Yes, hello Colonel," the Doctor said with a smile, holding out a hoof. The colonel hesitantly squatted down, taking the hoof into his hand and shaking it gently. "Seriously long story to explain this, but you know Martha's history I assume. If anyone can give you assurance that I am the Doctor, it's her."

"Well then... if you're the Doctor, I guess that's alright. Welcome back, sir." The colonel stood up again and gave a salute. "I just saluted a pony..." he said under his breath.

"Anyways, sir, the Doctor wanted to have a look at our dimension cannon," Martha explained.

"Certainly, Doctor, but may I ask why?" the Colonel moved next to Martha, beginning to walk with her and the Doctor while leading the way.

"This universe is in danger, along with every other parallel universe out there," the Doctor began. "The universes have begun to tear, leaving openings that can never exist. I was pulled into an alternate universe where I was turned into a pony, and that's where the TARDIS is. I need to get back."

"We are glad to help, Doctor," Hutchinson replied. "However, we are only barely beginning to understand the science behind parallel worlds."

"Some worlds are... closer than others, is the only way I can think to describe it, though it’s not a perfect visual. The scientists working on it could explain it better than me," Martha said. "We've been able to take some readings from the universe Rose Tyler is in, and minimal readings on some universes farther away, but only with more power put in to the system. Do you have any idea how far away your universe is? Or even a way for us to pinpoint it?"

"I can tell you this universe is farther than I've ever imagined," the Doctor said. "But don't worry, I have a plan."

"You do?"

"Well, I don't know the end bit, but I know the first few steps, and that'll have to be enough. Ah, here it is!"

The Doctor looked up at was simply an undecorated white cube, not nearly as large as the project Emerald that Martha had pointed out, but still large. All the intricate mechanics were inside, and several scientists were making scans and running tests.

"Alright, time to start fiddling. Oh, Martha, you confiscated the device on my hoof, that's my new sonic screwdriver. Can I have it back?"

"Of course, Doctor, I'll run and get it for you."

 

**

 

"Professor Song then, sorry. The Doctor told me a lot about you, so I know that things end up in the wrong order. He told me you'd be a good one to come to if I needed help, and I finally found you. The Doctor's gone missing," Samantha explained.

River turned around, smiling at Samantha. “Neither of us have met, so apparently, we meet each other in the proper order," she replied. "Nice to meet you. Actually, the reason I came to this place is the same as yours. A couple months ago, I was going on an archaeology expedition, I wanted to call the Doctor. I didn't get an answer, and that never happens. I came here to hide away and dedicate all my time to searching. All my archaeology team has is my phone number, and every now and then I meet them for missions."

Samantha paused for a moment before responding. "Well, if you meet in the wrong order, couldn't you just find him in a different time?"

"I never know when my message will reach him. And true, I could have just called him again, but that wouldn't help me find him; the Doctor couldn't cross his own time stream without extreme risk. I apparently contacted your Doctor specifically, and now it's my goal to find him too."

Samantha walked about the room, taking a closer look at all the galaxy maps River displayed on the walls. "You're certainly thorough," she commented.

"I'm always thorough when it comes to dealings with the Doctor," River replied. "And you can take that sentence any way you like, they'd all be equally true," she added with a sly grin. "Now, when did you last see the Doctor? Maybe there's some clue that can help us."

"We were on Benzo, hiking the ruby mountains," Samantha began.

"Ooh, he hasn't taken me there yet, I'll have to make him sometime."

"We ran in to trouble, which is what happens half the time we do anything, of course, and the TARDIS took damage before we could jump through time."

"Go on."

"We tried to flee, but the Doctor knew he couldn't break away. There was a temporal storm nearby, and the Doctor decided to fly straight in. I used my vortex manipulator to leave the TARDIS, but-"

"Hold on, did you say temporal storm?"

"Yes."

River leaned back in her chair, remembering the events from a couple months ago when she didn't hear from the Doctor. "Well then, I almost know where he is."

"Where?"

"Wherever he is, Jack Harkness might be in the same place."

 

**

 

The team of scientists working on the dimension cannon were now standing off to the side, watching a talking pony get more done in ten minutes than they could do in months.

Martha approached the Doctor, who was using his sonic screwdriver to make more adjustments on the control computer. "Doctor, the scientists tell me that the scanners are working a lot better, and they'd be confident in testing a jump. Should they?"

"No no, no one is risking their life for me, I'll be the one to make the jump," the Doctor replied.

"But even with these adjustments, we still can't pinpoint the universe you're from, it's too far. Do you have a plan?"

"I do, but not one I understand," the Doctor replied. "I only just found out about this... universe... energy... stuff," he explained. "I still have no idea how it works, but Chaos said he couldn't kill me directly because I had too much universe energy going through my body. If I'm still a pony, then I must have some of the alternate universe's energy field affecting me, and if this machine is smart enough to detect the difference between whatever frequency I'm at and this universe, then it should exponentially reduce the power needed to find and pinpoint the pony universe. With that, all it takes is a jump."

Martha shook her head slightly. "Ok, a lot of stuff there that I didn't get, but I think I got most of it."

"You asked a complicated question, so you got a complicated answer."

"Alright, how about a different one that I've been meaning to ask: what is that hourglass on your hind leg?"

The Doctor blushed. "Oh, that? That's my, uh..." the Doctor said the name, but not nearly loud enough for Martha to hear.

"Your what? Did you get a tattoo in the other universe? Hour glass, time lord, matching up?"

"No, it's not a tattoo, it's my... cutie mark..."

Martha burst out laughing. "Your what? This is too rich!" she said.

"Oi, I didn't come up with the name, it just showed up there!” the Doctor replied.

"It sounds like something from a little girl's cartoon."

"Well I'm not a little girl, so you can forget that theory."

The Doctor returned to fiddling with the dimension cannon, and after a few more minutes, took a deep breath. "Alright, I have no idea what the physics behind this universe energy thing is, so hopefully a wild guess will be enough for this machine." The Doctor raised a hoof, and gently placed it on a touch sensor.

The machine began to hum loudly, and the Doctor took a step back. An error message came on the screen, and the Doctor stepped forward again, groaning.

"Do you need more time?" Martha asked.

"Actually, the machine managed to detect the underlying universal energy field from this universe after it scanned me, so you can now say UNIT were the first people to discover this energy field thingy, not even the time lords knew of this," the doctor said. "And it looks like it can set up a lock with this universe and mine, so that travel can be made back and forth. Once the lock is in place jumping will be easy, but I'll need a lot more power to activate the lock."

"How much more?"

"Um... power pulled in from about a fifty-mile radius around this building. That much."

Martha blinked, nervously nodding. "Well, when the entire universe is in danger, I can get some people to formulate a cover up for why there's a power outage of such a large area,"

"Brilliant, let's get ready then."

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_Canterlot castle_  
_30 seconds after the Doctor's disappearance_

 

Paige sat in stunned silence, and Jack paced back and forth, neither with any clue of what happened to the Doctor or how to get him back.

"Is there anything you can do, princesses?" Jack asked. "If we don't have the Doctor, there's no way we can fight whatever this thing is."

Celestia's look of sadness changed into a smile. "Oh, just wait a few more seconds," she replied.

"Wait, what?"

"Doctor, you can come out now."

 

**

 

_The Doctor's universe_

 

A scientist placed a necklace with a large, yellow button attached around the Doctor's neck, the dimension cannon now ready and fully functional.

"Martha, it was a pleasure seeing you again," the Doctor said, smiling up at his old friend.

"I know that I'm the one who left, but it was great seeing you too," Martha replied. "Oh, come here, you talking-pony time lord."

Martha knelt and pulled the Doctor in for a hug, which the Doctor returned with the one front hoof he could manage to get around to Martha's back. "As long as I can prevent an extremely powerful creature from destroying every parallel universe in existence, I'll start popping in from time to time."

"Sounds like a plan," Martha said, chuckling as she broke from the hug.

Colonel Hutchinson stood nearby and gave the Doctor a salute. "Always a pleasure for UNIT to help the Doctor, sir," he said.

The Doctor returned the salute. "Thanks for not assuming I was hostile. Otherwise I might be dead by now."

"Don't worry Doctor, I'll keep these guys in check," Martha said.

"Alright, well, here goes nothing. See you around, Dr. Jones. Say hi to Mickey for me." With a press of the button around his neck, the Doctor was gone.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_Canterlot Castle_  
_4 hours before the Doctor was teleported_

 

Celestia sat on her throne, reading a scroll and enjoying the quiet day. She looked up when a guard entered through the large double doors at the end of the room.

"Princess, there is a pony outside who says he should be let in. He didn't give a name, he just says he's a doctor."

Celestia lit up and set down her scroll. "Let him in at once. He can be trusted."

When the guard returned, the Doctor was with him, smiling widely. "Hello, princess! I'm back!" he shouted.

"Yes, it's wonderful to see you after 300 years," she said.

"Oh, damn, I'm back, but I'm also not back, I will be back, it's complicated," the Doctor said. "I was teleported all the way to my own universe, and I was still a pony! I got back, but the time wasn't quite synced when the lock was set, now this blasted thing is broken. No matter, I've got readings from my universe stored in here, so the TARDIS can work out the kinks and travel back."

"You don't have the TARDIS? How did you get here then? And you were teleported back to your universe?" Celestia replied.

"I teleported to where UNIT headquarters would be if it was here," the Doctor said. "But I found a man with a rigged gambling game, reversed the rig on him to get enough money for a train ride, and here I am. Ta da!" The Doctor stood up on his hind hooves for a moment, smiling widely. "Anyways, you have a lot of questions for me, princess, and unfortunately I can't answer them right now. But don't worry, you only have a few hours to wait. Some sad things are going to happen, I'm afraid, I can't mess with my own timeline. Is it alright if I hide for a few hours until I show up again?"

Celestia was thoroughly confused, but trusted the Doctor when he said she would understand soon. "Alright Doctor, we can chat for a while, then you can hide just behind the door over there when the necessary time comes."

 

**

 

_4 hours and 30 seconds later_

 

"Doctor, you can come out now."

The Doctor emerged from a door behind Celestia's throne, grinning widely. "Ta da! I like ta da, it's invigorating, I think I'll say ta da more."

"Doctor!" Paige shouted, rushing up to him and beaming. "But, how did you get back?"

"I was teleported to my own universe, but I found a way back. Took me a long time to figure it out, but I popped in early, so I had to wait around. Time travel, things can get tricky," he said.

"Well you were right, Doctor, I understand now," Celestia said with a chuckle. "Although I wish I could have helped."

“Don't worry Celestia, when I got here things had already happened in my time stream," the Doctor said.

"What do we do now?" Jack asked.

"There's some searching I need to do. I need more answers before I can go after Chaos, and I came up with a thought on where to go while I waited," the Doctor said. He turned back to princess Celestia. "But don't worry princess, I promise you that I will find Chaos and stop him, no matter what it takes."

"I have faith in you, Doctor, and I am eternally grateful," Celestia replied.

"Alright then, Jack, Paige, onwards. We need to go back in time," the Doctor said. "Until next time, princesses."

Both Celestia and Luna gave a nod, and the Doctor entered the TARDIS with his companions, ready for another trip.

 

**

 

_The Doctor's Universe_

 

"Wait, you know Jack Harkness?" Samantha asked.

"Not until recently, do you know him?" River replied.

"I've never met him in person, but I'm surprised you know him," Samantha said. "The Doctor always told me that his two favorite people in the universe were the same two people that could never be in the same room."

"Indeed, I see now why the Doctor has kept that man from me for so long, I think he's worried about Jack being competition for him. I’d never leave the Doctor, but Jack is certainly the most tempting man I’ve ever met," River joked. "I knew of Jack Harkness, but he didn't know of me, so I kept quiet about my knowledge of the Doctor and got him tagging along on archaeology expeditions. Eventually the Doctor came up on accident, he already knew that the Doctor was married but didn’t know to who, and we exchanged stories. He ended up in a temporal storm a little while ago, just like how you said the Doctor disappeared. What does your Doctor look like, by the way?"

"Tall, blonde, grey suit."

"Ah, I haven’t met that one, but I’ve seen pictures," River explained. "A while ago a version of the Doctor I’d rarely seen, one from farther in his timestream, taught me how to detect and identify temporal storms, but I never knew why until now. The temporal storm that hit Jack was by chance, but we could find one with what he taught me."

"And if we find a storm, we might be able to find the Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Let's do it then."


	9. Winds of Fate

_Canterlot Castle_  
_5 days after the Doctor left_

 

"But you've got to let me try, princess Celestia!"

Twilight had been begging to help in the fight against Chaos for half an hour, after taking a train to Canterlot and demanding to see Celestia right away. Celestia accepted the visit but refused her help.

"The elements of harmony are strong, but not strong enough for this creature," Celestia said again. "You or your friends getting involved would mean certain doom for all of you. We must rely on the help we have."

Twilight finally saw that there was no convincing Celestia, and she bowed her head, a light frown on her face. "I'll trust you, princess, but if the elements of harmony can't protect us, are we sure that this other pony can?"

Celestia stood from her throne, walking down next to Twilight. "Come, I will walk with you outside," she said.

The two traveled through the long, wide halls of the castle, their strides slow. Guards paid no mind, and for a while, the teacher and the student shared a silence.

"This pony that I spoke to you of, he's from a faraway place. He's not quite as old as me, but has still lived for over a thousand years, and has grown wise from his travels. He is quick, cunning, and always there to help when help is needed. Although I'm older, he has seen things I couldn't even begin to imagine, done things that I'd never be able to do. His coming was foretold, before we even began recording our history, and he is the only one wise enough and brave enough to save us. I wish you could have met him while he was here, but I am certain he will be here again. Go home, Twilight, and keep Ponyville safe. Chaos is already beyond our reach, out amongst the stars where we cannot chase him. Put your faith in the Doctor. He will need it."

Twilight looked up at Celestia one last time as they reached the main gate. "I trust you, princess. I will protect Ponyville, and if this Doctor can impress you that much, then he must be really great."

"He is. Just remember though, you impress me equally as much. Take care, my faithful student."

Twilight smiled, and turned away, heading to catch a train ride home.

Celestia returned inside the castle, her head heavy with the burden of all that was happening around her. Defending her own world was difficult enough in the past centuries, but she couldn't even begin to comprehend the scale of damage Chaos would cause if he was successful. Not only the infinity that was her universe, but the infinity that was every universe. Chaos was out there, somewhere, shifting through time and space and dimensions of reality, and she felt helpless.

When Celestia reached the throne room, princess Luna was awake, routinely out of bed several hours before nightfall. "Twilight truly wants to help," she said.

"I wish she could, sister. I too wish I could help more," Celestia replied.

"I agree that she is not powerful enough in her current state, despite her magical talent that is beyond extraordinary," Luna said. "However, do you still plan on making her an alicorn?"

"Yes, but not yet." Celestia sat back down in her throne, her sister in the throne next to her. "She is talented, but still not ready. I'm afraid there's nothing she can do in this battle, and very little we can do. We must simply put our faith in the Doctor."

"As we were told to do."

"Yes, as we were told to do."

 

**

 

_Several thousand years earlier_

 

"Did you look like you again when you went back to earth?" Jack asked. The TARDIS flew through the time vortex, a calming, gentle hum echoing throughout the ship.

"No, actually, so now I have no idea how the transformation works," the Doctor replied.

"So, I might be stuck as a pony? Not too bad I guess, I'm still handsome," Jack smirked.

"Um... anyways, where are we going again?" Paige chimed in, wanting to lead the conversation elsewhere.

"I'm taking us back in time. Far back, apparently beyond your recorded history. I'm not sure where to stop, but we shouldn't be too far- what?"

The Doctor froze as the motion of the TARDIS slowly came to a stop, the screeching noise of the engine quieting down until the three travelers were surrounded by silence. "I didn't do that," the Doctor said, running over to the monitor. "The TARDIS didn't do that," he continued. "We've been stopped."

"We've what? While we were in the time vortex?" Jack said, moving next to the Doctor. "How is that possible?"

"Something just stopped us. Or someone..."

"Doctor! I think my bag just moved," Paige pointed over to her bag, having seen it rustle.

The Doctor looked up, his mind racing to a conclusion. "Psychic paper, get it out of there, quickly!"

Paige pulled out the paper and tossed it to the Doctor, who quickly set it on the consol and flipped it open with a hoof. "You're at where you wanted to go, come on outside..." the Doctor read.

"Could this be Chaos?" Jack asked.

"I really hope not, but it's time to find out."

The Doctor put the psychic paper away and looked towards the door. A faint sound of wind could be heard from the other side, and he approached the TARDIS exit quietly.

"Where are we?" Paige asked.

"Should still be on Earth, that's where I wanted to go. However, I couldn't tell you what's out there."

The wind increased in volume as the Doctor slowly opened the TARDIS door. There was no light to welcome them, or plants, or seemingly any life at all. The three travelers stepped onto black rock, surrounded by darkness.

The Doctor held a hoof above his eyes to keep his mane from blocking his vision, and caught sight of a faint light, directly in front of them. "I guess that light is our only sense of direction," the Doctor said, beginning to walk forward.

Jack and Paige followed, trying to see anything different from what they were standing on. "I can see why your recorded history doesn't go very far back," Jack said.

"Doctor, look up. Why are there so few stars?" Paige asked.

The Doctor looked up, seeing merely several dozen stars up in the sky. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I came looking for answers, and I'm just getting more questions."

As the three continued to approach the mysterious light, they could make out the shape of a large pony, similar in size to Celestia. They pressed on through the wind, more confident now that they saw the creature wasn't Chaos, and the colors of the pony began to form in their eyes. Her body was white, like that of Celestia's, but her mane and tail were a rich red, resting normally without the magical flow that Celestia and Luna had. She had both wings and a horn, marking herself as an alicorn.

"Hello, Doctor," the pony said, her voice calm and gentle. "I have been expecting you." She didn't look towards the three travelers, she simply kept her gaze out into the black distance, her horn lighting a short radius around them.

"You know, that's the second time I've been expected by a pony, I'd still like to know how," the Doctor replied.

"Oh, you're known very well. A protector of life all over your universe, and sometimes, even in other universes." The alicorn looked towards the three travelers now, smiling at Paige. She stood up, approaching her. “Hello, and you must be Paige." Paige smiled weakly in reply, nervous.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, my name is not important, same as you, Doctor," the alicorn said, turning away again. "But you came here to find answers, and while I have only few, I believe they can help."

"Alright then, I'll try and get started," the Doctor said, taking a breath. "Firstly, this is only several thousand years before I was last on this planet, but there's nothing. This planet couldn't have evolved that fast, and there's also very few stars in the sky."

"The answer to that is obvious. This universe is still being created," the alicorn replied. "I am a creator."

The Doctor stared, not understanding any of what she said. "A what?"

"Unfortunately, Doctor, this is where there will always be some confusion," the alicorn explained. "There are times where you don't bother explaining physics of reality that are too complicated for most of your companions to comprehend. You are my companion in this sense; if I tried to explain reality to you, I'd break every rule you know, and your rules are good enough."

The Doctor paused. "Then please, tell me more about what a creator is. You mean to say that you're actually creating this universe as we speak?"

"Helping create it, yes," the alicorn replied. "The energy field of a universe. Every single one is different. Your universe had the big bang, you didn't need a creator to help with that energy release, and evolution took care of the rest. This universe is using my energy to create itself."

"I've never heard of anything like that..." Jack said, astounded.

"Alright then," the Doctor said, needing to stay on the point despite how fascinated he was. "What about Chaos?"

"There are two things beyond the rules you have for the universe, Doctor. Creators and destroyers," the alicorn said. "Creators are beings such as me, and destroyers come from the void, such as Chaos. You have actually met a destroyer before, in your own universe."

"When?"

"The impossible planet, orbiting a black hole," the alicorn said. "A prison for a destroyer from the void. He told you he came from before time, and that's where things go beyond your comprehension."

The Doctor remembered back, long, long ago, before Rose was lost to the parallel universe. A planet that couldn't exist, a language the TARDIS couldn't translate, and a creature the Doctor could not explain.

"you know what they are then, and you’re one yourself," the Doctor contined. "The creators and the destroyers. Are they at war?"

"War? No, we merely exist, through all of space and time, Doctor," the alicorn replied. "The destroyers come from the void, we come from... well, that's a place I can't even describe. All you need to know is, both creators and destroyers have always been here."

"If you know who and what Chaos is, can you stop him?" Jack asked.

The alicorn chuckled. "No, unfortunately. I'm much too powerful for that."

Paige was the one most confused by that statement. "Too powerful?"

"Discord was thought to be young, but truthfully Chaos is still young as well; he's only existed for a few million of your years. He would stand no chance against me, and if I were to stop him, there would be massive collateral damage. I've existed for far too long and have far too much power, I must stay neutral. Imagine a cannon aimed at a thief, with a dozen innocent people behind him."

The Doctor moved a bit closer to the alicorn. "Then can you tell us how to defeat him? If we don't stop Chaos, we will lose all of reality."

"The winds of fate are blowing, Doctor. My interference in which direction they go could have massive consequences. However, I've put a lot of work into creating this universe, and you've put a lot of work into protecting yours. I'd rather not see this universe fall, so I will help you in the small way I can. I must speak with each of you individually. Paige, I would like to speak with you first."

Paige was surprised, but the Doctor turned and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "We need whatever she can give us," he whispered.

Jack and the Doctor walked a small distance away, keeping themselves out of earshot.

"Should we trust this alicorn?" Jack asked.

"The things she knows, the way she speaks, I feel she's being honest," the Doctor replied. "She's diving into a part of my past that I could never explain and wasn't sure if I wanted to. This whole universe feels impossible now, but we need to stop Chaos."

"I agree, and I haven't met a pony yet that seems to be on the side of the bad guys," Jack replied.

"It's hard enough for most people to comprehend the infinite size of the universe, even for me sometimes. Then you talk about alternate universes, and that infinity gets bigger. Now I'm here, in a universe I didn't even know could exist, and a number we couldn't describe to begin with is suddenly so much larger than we thought. Chaos plans to destroy all that, bring infinity down to zero, and if this alicorn has the power to pull my TARDIS out of the time vortex like a grape off a vine, then doesn't proceed to kill us, I'm trusting her with all my hearts."

 

**

 

"How are you, Paige?" the alicorn asked, now alone with the Doctor's companion.

"I'm fine... I feel like I should say princess, but I'm not sure who you are," Paige replied.

"Don't worry about calling me anything, I'm certainly not a princess," the alicorn said. "Now, tell me about the Doctor. Have you enjoyed your time with him?"

"Yes, yes I have," Paige replied. "It's scary, but... I trust him with my life. He's shown me so much I didn't know, and I feel more complete with my knowledge of the universe, knowing there's more out there then just our tiny planet."

"For you Paige, I have only one question," the alicorn said. "I know much about the Doctor, and a lot converges around him. Even my small amount of help could change the winds of fate drastically. Dangerous things could happen. All I have to ask you: is the Doctor worth it?"

Paige thought for a while before responding, taking the question seriously. "Sometimes, not everyone is saved," Paige began. "But it's not the Doctor's fault, and there would be many more dead if the Doctor wasn't here. He's worth the risk."

The alicorn smiled. "Thank you, Paige, that is all I need to hear from you. Please send Jack over."

Paige nodded, and turned away from the mysterious alicorn. Jack walked up to her a few moments later, giving her a polite nod. "Hello there," Jack said.

"Hello, Jack," the alicorn replied. "You're quite an impossible being, you know that?"

"Yes ma'am, I certainly do," Jack said. "What can I do for you?"

"You're actually going to live longer than me," the alicorn told Jack. "I'm quite old and will only live under your definition of life for about another thousand years. You have been given a task to complete, Jack, and you must stay here until it is done."

"A task? What sort of task?"

"You will understand, later on," the alicorn said. "It is good that you're here. The Doctor will need your help. I will speak to the Doctor now."

Jack had more questions, but obeyed, and trotted off.

Lastly, the Doctor approached the alicorn again, his eyes filled with wonder, his mind incapable of understanding the creature before him.

"Doctor, I have several answers for you, and then the journey is yours to make. I cannot interfere with what is going to happen any more than I am about to."

"I understand," the Doctor replied. "What can you tell me?"

"Chaos, the creature of the void you have met, is extremely powerful, but not unbeatable. You can save what has taken so long to create if you do things right. The one advantage is how you are right now. Chaos can rarely just kill something; his abilities must be used to cause death in indirect ways. As powerful of a being as he is, destroying universe energy in its purest form is impossible for him. You're an even harder case, because you are from another universe, yet universe energy from here is converging to you, changing what form you take. If you were to amplify the universe energy coursing through you, you could use it to defeat him."

"How would I do so?"

"That, I cannot tell you," the alicorn continued. "Now, many universes have similar enough energies that pervade them, so it would take much longer than any being's lifetime to cause any damage, which is why it is safe for Rose to be where she is. This universe, however, is too far from yours. When all is done, all will be back in the form they truly are, and all must return to the universe they belong in to prevent the cracks between universes from staying open."

The Doctor frowned, bowing his head. "So... I'll have to leave Paige behind..."

"I wish I could help more, but at the moment I do not have a solution," the alicorn said. "If I do come up with one, I won't be able to tell you how directly. You will only be given a hint, and you must be the one to interpret the meaning."

The Doctor looked up again, his mind turning past events over. He was now worried, realizing that the hint may well have already come across his ears.

"Lastly, to defeat Chaos, you must use the key," the alicorn said.

"The key?"

"Entering a universe from the void is done through doors, so to speak. You must use a key to lock those doors once more."

While not understanding yet, the Doctor nodded. His TARDIS had traveled through the void before, but only for brief moments to get from universe to universe, and even then, he’d only done it a couple times. He needed a way to stay in the void, and this key would likely be the answer. "I appreciate the help."

"I wish I could explain more, or at least explain the laws of the universe that are dictating my ability to help, but as time travel is complicated to your companions, the rules I follow are complicated as well. There are times when creators and destroyers have fought, yes, but this situation is different in many ways. Good luck to you, Doctor. I am proud of the universe I am creating, and I hope it continues to exist through all of time."

"Thank you for the help you've been able to give," the Doctor said. "Just one last question. How do you know so much about me?"

"When I felt your ship heading into the beginning of this universe, I went to your universe and observed for a few centuries," the alicorn explained. "You are quite remarkable, Doctor, and if anyone can save reality, you can. Now, you are about to be very happy and later very sad, but even so, you must find her now."

The Doctor was going to ask who the alicorn meant, but found himself back on the TARDIS, staring at the doors.

"What? We were just outside, waiting for you Doctor. How did we end up in here again?" Paige asked.

The Doctor stared at the doors, unsure of what to do next. "I don't know," the Doctor said. "But she helped us quite a lot." He paused to think. “What was interesting was the last thing she said to me. 'Find her'..."

"Well Doctor, we got a bit side tracked when we found Jack, but didn't the TARDIS find two events where something crossed to this universe from yours?" Paige said.

"Right you are, Paige! We've got someone else to find!" the Doctor said, perking up again and heading for the controls. Could Samantha have found her way here? he thought to himself, knowing that he was searching for a female.

"Where to?" Jack asked.

"Looks like we're headed for a town called Ponyville."

 

**

 

_800 years later_

 

The new universe was still very young, and the mysterious alicorn smiled, standing upon a world with water, a stable atmosphere, and the beginnings of life and civilization. A brand-new star was in the sky, only 50 years old, and shone brightly. She also added a moon, having liked the look of the planet Earth that the Doctor visited so much during her observation of him.

"Alright, I have found another way I can help the Doctor, and more solutions are clear," she said aloud. "I am really testing the winds of fate with this, but you need not worry, the damage will be solely to myself, and it will be worth it," she continued.

"There is a being, who will come from a distant world. He looks like us, but is not one of us, at least not all the time. A brilliant creature who just might be able to save creation."

The alicorn looked out into the sunlight as she spoke, smiling widely. "I will tell you of this prophecy, of the time in your future when you will meet this magnificent being, and I will prepare you. As I told him, only through hints can I give him answers, and only if he understands those hints can you then help him with my solutions. Either way, this being is, has, and will be fighting to be the savior of all things, and when these points become fixed in time, you will be able to personally experience the outcome. My time here is not much longer, if I interfere beyond the creation of this universe anymore, more creatures than myself will take damage. But I have just enough time to tell you of him, to speak of his future coming, and leave the legend alive in your hearts.”

She snuggled her head against the two newborn sleeping fillies. "I will tell you of the legend of the Doctor, my dear Celestia and Luna."


	10. The Hourglass

_The Doctor’s Universe_  
_51st Century_  
_Somewhere distant from Earth_

 

Samantha and River had found a temporal storm several light years away, and after a week’s travel in the best spaceship they could acquire on short notice, they closed in on it.

“These readings are strikingly similar to the temporal storm I found when exploring with Jack,” River said, looking at her console. “In fact, they’re exactly the same. I don’t know how that’s possible.”

“It only gives us more hope that they ended up in the same place, and we know how to find them,” Samantha replied.

River stopped working, turning away from her computers and watching Samantha with sincere eyes. “Samantha, I know you want to find the Doctor, but this is risky. They could be dead for all we know, and all we’re doing is making the same mistake.”

“These frequent temporal storms now can’t be a coincidence,” Samantha argued. “And besides, you said that the Doctor taught you how to find temporal storms at some point. If he wanted you to learn for a purpose, how could he have done so if he died?”

River grinned. “The answer to that would be ‘spoilers’, and that’s exactly why I asked you. I’m very ready to take this risk; are you?”

Samantha gulped, but nodded. “For the Doctor.”

“For the Doctor.” River went back to the controls and accelerated, flying the ship right into the storm.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_21st Century_  
_Ponyville_

 

_Find her._

Those two words had been stuck in the Doctor’s head, repeating over and over. Had Samantha found her way here? Had someone else come looking for him? Was this even someone he knew? The Doctor kept the TARDIS scanning for more cases of things appearing from his universe, in case the TARDIS hadn’t found all of them yet. Only the sounds of the TARDIS coming to a shaky halt was enough to pull him out of his own thoughts.

The TARDIS always made the same sound when taking off and landing, but not this time. The TARDIS stuttered and shook, and when the Doctor checked on what was happening, he noticed that his ship had trouble pinpointing where it landed.

“That’s odd,” the Doctor said. “We’re in Ponyville, but appear to have landed at the wrong time… right time? I don’t know what to make of this.”

“The TARDIS didn’t seem to like that landing,” Paige said.

“I guess going outside is the only way to know what’s going on,” Jack said, headed for the door.

The three ponies stepped out into a quiet night, the streets around them empty.

In fact, the houses seemed empty too. Not a pony in sight as the moon beamed above the silent town. Not even wind blew to shake the stillness of the grass beneath their hooves, or the flowers resting until the sun returned.

“Where is everypony?” Paige asked.

That’s when the screams came.

All out of one building, ponies came running out, in terror of whatever they had just witnessed. The three travelers turned in surprise at the sudden stampede and fought to keep themselves from getting trampled. The Doctor listened for any clue as to what was going on.

“She’s a monster!”

“We’ll never see our princess again!”

“Come on, Featherquill, run!”

“It’s Nightmare Moon!”

The Doctor didn’t understand what he heard, but he finally heard something worth mentioning. “Paige, who is Nightmare Moon?” he shouted above all the screams.

Paige turned to the Doctor, now scared herself. “I’d only ever read about this event, I never imagined seeing it,” she shouted, looking towards the building. “At one point, Princess Luna fell victim to dark magic, becoming a monster that tried to make all of Equestria live in eternal night. If history doesn’t change, she will fall.”

“Eternal night might be great for parties, but I’d rather have some daytime to go with it,” Jack said.

“Then we’re getting out of here,” the Doctor replied, still needing to shout over the panicking crowd. “If this event is that significant, we’re not interfering. In fact, this isn’t even the time I wanted, we’re not supposed to be-“

The Doctor stopped speaking when he realized how quiet it had just gotten. Mid-sentence, the screams disappeared, and he was shouting over nothing. The travelers now stood exactly where they had been, but on a sunny, peaceful day.

“But we were just- what?” The Doctor frantically looked around, seeing ponies going about their day to day activities.

“Good afternoon!” A pink pony said as she trotted by. Three smiling flowers made up her cutie mark, and several textbooks were slung over her shoulder in a book bag. “Are you lost? You look nervous. What’s that thing?”

The Doctor glanced at the mare while waving around his hoof, scanning with his sonic screwdriver. “Actually, I’m not lost, I’m exactly where I wanted to be. But that’s the confusing part.”

The mare blinked, no idea of a response coming to her, still confused by the Doctor waving his hoof around. “Well, if you need help finding something, I’m sure somepony can help you. Have a good day!”

The mare trotted off, and the Doctor kept scanning, refusing to believe what he was seeing. “Doctor, I don’t even feel like I just used a vortex manipulator,” Jack said. “Are you sure we just traveled through time?”

“We are now at where I had intended for the TARDIS to land, that I am certain,” the Doctor replied, shutting off his sonic screwdriver. “As to how, I have no idea.”

The Doctor became distracted by a buzzing noise behind him and turned to see a creature that he didn’t recognize. It seemed like some sort of insect; simply a colored sphere with wings, and a few tiny legs. The bug smiled at the Doctor, flying a bit closer.

“Well, hello!” the Doctor said happily, raising a hoof to let the creature land on something. “You’re a cute little thing, aren’t you? You know, I’ve seen millions of different species of animals, insects, sentient races, and yet I still find new things. You’re a new thing. What are you called?”

“Doctor…” Paige cautiously approached him, weary of the creature on the Doctor’s hoof.

“Oh, and you have some multicolored friends!” the Doctor added, two more little sphere’s coming into view. “Would you all like something to eat? Paige, do we have any more bananas?”

“Doctor, feeding those things is not a good idea,” Paige said, inching herself closer. “I’ve read about these creatures, and they got to London once. They’re not friendly.”

“Oh, they look perfectly friendly, just a bit hungry,” the Doctor replied. “I mean, how could this little thing possibly be-“

The Doctor stopped talking when one of the creatures flew up to a wooden sign above a shop, a sign several times larger than the creature, and proceeded to eat it. “Oh,” the Doctor said, his ears flattening against his head. “I see.”

Jack was dumbfounded. “Even I can’t eat that much-“

“Jack, don’t finish that sentence.”

The conversation was halted by the buzzing sound of the first few creatures growing louder. Looking up, Jack, the Doctor and Paige saw an entire swarm of them, headed straight for Ponyville.

“Paige, know anything about what’s going on this time?”

“No, only that London knew how to stop these creatures because of what Ponyville figured out.”

“Oh good, another major event in history.” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “For a moment I thought it was a good thing we got transported away from-“

The sound of the creatures swarming towards town disappeared. It was still day, but all the ponies near them changed to different ones. These ponies did not look happy as the other ones had, however. Those sitting or walking around looked sick, exhausted, their eyes drooping and sweat dripping from their faces.

“This is very bad,” the Doctor said, looking around more, taking in his surroundings.

“Doctor, what’s that shimmer?”

Jack pointed towards the outskirts of Ponyville, seeing a strange shimmer near the ground, as if it were a hot day. The Doctor felt no excess heat, despite the appearance of the ponies, because it wan’t hot out.

Then the shimmer began to turn black.

What was once the appearance of a heat wave now formed a strange shape. It moved with the same fluid motion as a heat shimmer, but now looked like a terrible ooze, spreading farther and farther on the outskirts of Ponyville.

“This is very bad,” the Doctor repeated. “We’re in an isolated time blend.”

 

**

 

“An isolated what?” Paige asked, fearful of the blackness in the distance.

“I can only assume Chaos did this,” the Doctor said. “With a lot of power and a lot of trickery, you can take a certain location, and sort of…” he struggled for the right words to explain it. “Imagine time like a big ball of… stuff,” he began. “When you create a time blend, you isolate a portion of space from normal passage of time, then you pop the ball, all the air comes out, and you can just crumple up everything. All the time of Ponyville just squishing into each other.”

“But nopony else seems to notice,” Jack commented.

“Where we are now-“ the Doctor paused when he heard more screaming, the group finding themselves back under the light of the moon. “Or where we were, is the convergence point. All the messed-up time is crumpling towards that point, and that’s where ponies are finally being affected. Their entire timelines are being ripped apart; it would certainly make your stomach feel a little queezy. We only notice because we’ve recently time traveled. The time vortex makes traps like these go a bit floopy around us.”

“But what about all the events outside of Ponyville affected by the town itself?” Jack asked. “Aren’t there too many paradoxes?”

“That’s the problem with these,” the Doctor continued as the swarm of winged creatures flew over his head. “With enough energy you can contain this time blend without it affecting anything else. But once everything crumples in on itself, the energy explosion is massive. Paradoxes can typically resolve themselves, but at a great cost.”

“So, if we don’t do something…” Paige looked at the ever-increasing blackness in the distance, back in the latest point in the time trio they were passing through.

“All major events that have to do with Ponyville will change or be destroyed. And it seems like this little town is pretty important.”

“This is where princess Luna became herself again, where Discord was defeated… a surprising number of things.”

“Then it was a good target for Chaos to change the history of the entire planet.”

The three lost themselves in silence for a moment, letting the thought stir in their heads. Nopony around them could help or would even realize what was happening until this point in time.

“Is there any way at all we can warn these ponies?” Jack asked.

“It wouldn’t do any good,” the Doctor replied. “We’d likely disappear before we could finish talking for starters. The only ones that could be aware of this and halted in one particular time would be someone who has experienced time travel but not for at least the past several months.” _Something or someone showed up as from my universe at the point where all the insects are swarming_ , the Doctor thought to himself. _Samantha, could you be here? Could you help?_

“We have to do something. Is there anything we can do to stop this?” Paige asked.

The Doctor thought for a moment. “Yes, get back in the TARDIS,” he told Paige and Jack. “We might be able to stop Chaos’s plan for this town still.”

 

**

 

Back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor immediately set to work, dashing from one end of the console to the other. Paige and Jack waited in a nervous silence, unable to help but worried for the future of the world they were on.

“There are three points we’re jumping between,” the Doctor said, beginning to explain as he continued working. “There’s the convergence point, and two other points in time that ended up having high amounts of energy near them, by pure chance, nothing more. The three points gives us enough room to resync Ponyville back into the flow of time with the rest of the universe. What we need is a beacon at each point.”

“I assume the TARDIS can be one of the beacons, but what about the other points?” Paige asked.

“Excellent question Paige, and I have an idea that just might work,” the Doctor replied. “I believe that unicorns can emit the necessary frequency to resync Ponyville. We’ll need a different unicorn at each of the other two points that know what to do, and then we’re set.”

“I don’t know much about unicorns, there weren’t really any in Apppleoosa, but I know that magic isn’t as easy as thinking what frequency to emit,” Jack said. “We’re going to need some brilliant unicorns.”

“We’ll find a way.” The Doctor examined his monitor, scanning the points in time now that the TARDIS had jumped enough to get sufficient data, looking for the most stable place to try and make the TARDIS land and not jump like the rest of them. However, as he scanned, something caught his eye that he could hardly believe. “There’s already a signal at one of the points…” the Doctor double checked to be sure of what he saw, and no data proved otherwise. Someone or something already knew the frequency to emit at and wasn’t moving from their current time. _Samantha, if that’s you, you’re brilliant._ _It’s been long enough for you to stay in one place if you haven’t been jumping about with your vortex manipulator. But how could you have figured this out? Who could possibly know all the information I know?_

“So does that mean we only need to find one unicorn?” Paige interrupted the Doctor’s thoughts.

“Apparently…” the Doctor still mulled over this new discovery. “The frequency is coming from the swarming bugs time frame. If a unicorn is going to need time to learn how to emit this frequency, then we need to find a brilliant unicorn in the time with Nightmare Moon, and then he or she can take the long way to the future and emit the frequency from the convergence point.” The Doctor turned to his companion. “Paige, you’ve read a lot, and there seem to be a lot of important events tied to Ponyville. Is there any unicorn you know with possible potential?”

Paige placed her hoof on her chin, turning over memories of history books and news articles. “I’ve never met her in person, but I think I know the unicorn to find.”

 

**

 

“You’ve been up all night, Spike. You are a baby dragon after all.”

Twilight Sparkle gave her baby dragon one last glance, making sure he slept soundly, then headed downstairs. There was a lot of work to be done if Equestria was going to be saved.

All the tails were true. The mare on the moon had returned, and if nopony stopped her, Equestria would fall under eternal night once more. There had to be something on the elements of harmony somewhere in the array of books she had access to downstairs, otherwise everypony would be doomed.

Twilight planned to immediately search through the books after turning on the light, but gasped when a light brown pony was standing in the middle of the room, looking at her. His mane and tail were both styled in a spiked fashion, and his cutie mark was shaped like an hourglass.

“Sorry to startle you, I don’t mean any harm,” the stallion said. What was that accent? Twilight’s best guess was the England region on the opposite side of Canterlot that Ponyville rested on. She had never been there personally, but many visited her home town.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, nervous of the way the stallion looked at her.

“I’m the Doctor, and I’m here because I’ve heard you’re good at magic,” the stallion replied. “I need you to write something down.”

Twilight shook her head. “You don’t even tell me your name, you just come in and tell me to write something? The other ponies I got introduced to today I can handle, but you’re just-“

“You’re trying to stop Nightmare Moon, so that Equestria won’t be underneath eternal darkness,” the stallion said. “Unfortunately, though you have succeeded in the history books, all Ponyville history is going to change if you don’t help me. I don’t have a name, it’s just the Doctor, I’m not from around here, I come from somewhere much farther away. I travel, I help people, and I’ve recently found a passion for bananas. They’re just delicious. And helpful. Is that a better introduction?”

Despite her fear, something about this pony… his voice, the look in his eyes… she began to trust him. He seemed to know things she didn’t, and right now she needed all the help she could get. If this pony had a way to save Equestria, why not at least listen? “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’m not from around here either,” she said. “I don’t think I get everything you just said, but I don’t know where to start. You can help me save Equestria?”

“Yes, I can. Write this number down and keep it somewhere safe.” Twilight levitated a piece of paper and quill to her, and the Doctor told her a five-digit number with a decimal. “This number won’t help you with tonight’s problem, but it will help you later. I’m out of time, but keep an eye out. You’re looking for a stallion with no cutie mark to tell you the rest.”

“The rest, but when-“ Twilight looked up from the paper, noticing that the Doctor was gone. The door hadn’t opened, nor a window. Twilight and Spike were once again the only two souls in the house.

Twilight looked at the number written down on her paper. She didn’t know what it meant, or where this pony even came from. She went back upstairs to place the number with the rest of her important belongings, then rushed back down to the books, beginning to magically toss them off shelves, making quite a noise. She had to put her curiosity on the number aside and search for the elements of harmony.

“Elements, elements, elements… how can I stop Nightmare Moon without the elements of harmony?”

“And just what  _are_  the elements of harmony?” Twilight hadn’t heard anypony come in once again, but suddenly had the blue Pegasus she had met earlier right in her face. “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?”

 

**

 

“Help!” Spike cried out.

The spell hadn’t worked. Now the strange winged creatures were eating everything except the food, and swarmed over an even larger portion of Ponyville. And when Twilight returned to her house to search for an answer, theses insane bugs were somehow eating the words right out of her books.

“They’re eating the words!” Twilight looked around frantically, no idea how to solve this. This creature was so strange, and Fluttershy had no idea how to deal with it. There was somepony else that she could turn to for advice on strange wonders of nature and magic, but she would have to be quick.

Twilight jumped up, grabbing one of the creatures with her teeth to take to Zecora. She bolted out the door, leaving the rest of the swarm to destroy her books; for now, there was nothing she could do about it.

Everywhere Twilight looked she saw another one of these replicating, feasting insects. Her worry for Celestia arriving and the town being a mess turned into a worry for the safety of all the ponies in Ponyville. Just how much damage could these creatures do?

Twilight pressed on, running for the border of the Everfree forest. A tall, dark blue pony stepped out from behind a bush in front of her path, catching her by surprise. She skidded to a halt.

“Hi there! See the flank? Handsome, I know, but no cutie mark on it.” The stallion turned, showing his flank to Twilight. Twilight had no idea what to say, merely confused that a stallion that looked so old would have no cutie mark yet. “You were told about seeing me.”

That’s when the memory hit Twilight like a brick thrown at her face. She’d forgotten about the number. The strange pony with an hourglass cutie mark. _You’re looking for a stallion with no cutie mark to tell you the rest._

The number. Twilight had never looked at it again, and although all of Equestria didn’t seem in danger, Twilight thought over her last strange visit. The other pony said something about history saying Twilight stopped Nightmare Moon, and that changing. She’d never heard of such an event, but then again, how could she? Was it really possible for history to change, with something like time travel? If these infesting creatures weren’t stopped at Ponyville, would they keep going?

“What do I need to know?” Twilight asked, no longer doubting the truth of what that Doctor had told her before. She quickly jumped and grabbed a hold of the creature again after letting go to speak.

“That number, it’s a frequency. If the Doctor understands magic correctly, you can convert that number to a neural wave, and transmit it through magic. When a Pegasus tells you to start, we need you to do so. Do you think you can learn to do that?”

Transmitting waves. Twilight had read some items on something called radio waves that some ponies were trying. But that was science, not unicorn magic. She had never heard the term neural wave but bet she could find out what that meant.

“I’ll do my best,” Twilight replied.

The stallion smiled, which for some reason made Twilight blush. “Fantastic. I’m Captain Jack Harkness by the way. Nice to meet you.” Then, just like the Doctor, he disappeared.

Twilight stood there for several minutes, unable to move. She would not forget about the number again. This was somehow more important than any small catastrophe that came across Ponyville. She would find a way to help.

 _Until then, Ponyville is being eaten!_ She shook her head and resumed running for Zecora’s house.

 

**

               

Twilight struggled to continue walking, her body aching all over. All of Ponyville was sick, and she had no idea why.

The last time Twilight had gotten a visit from her strangers was long ago. The break between the Doctor and Jack Harkness had only been a couple months, but now well over two years had passed. She didn’t know why the first two times were so close together and the final event farther out, but she never lost trust.

It had taken her months, but she found information on neural frequencies and examples of powerful unicorns who had done it before. Some ponies had done it without even realizing they were doing it; the spell didn’t seem that hard to perform, just hard to learn. She spent months more studying neural frequencies and tuning her mind to the number written on the paper. In a hectic event involving just herself, she discovered time travel was possible, and believed she had a better understanding of what the Doctor had said.

The Doctor. Just in case Twilight would mess with time by saying anything, when Celestia told her of the Doctor she acted like she’d never heard the name. But when Celestia spoke to her, she already understood how incredible the Doctor was. He and whoever helped him spread out across time to give her an important message, which she only assumed had to be at great risk to themselves. Twilight only managed time travel once, and barely managed to talk to herself. She couldn’t imagine how much the Doctor had to do.

If the last piece of the puzzle was going to come, Twilight believed it would be soon. Strange things were happening all over Equestria. Such a short time after Discord had been befriended, he was now dead. Killed by an ancient, more powerful version of him, who sought to cause more harm than Discord ever did. And now Ponyville seemed to be facing its final moments, with everypony collapsing to the ground from a sickness nopony could explain. In the distance, Twilight saw strange, black ooze swirling around, making some sort of border around Ponyville.

Twilight fell to the ground herself, the last bit of energy in her legs gone. This was the end for her. The Doctor had tried his best but couldn’t save Ponyville. She didn’t feel so bad about that. She only hoped that nopony else would get hurt, and that somepony would find a way to stop Chaos. Twilight closed her eyes, letting the exhaustion take over her, letting the end come.

Her eyes fluttered open again from the gentle touch of a hoof against her back. Twilight struggled to sit up, but could only manage to move her neck, tilting her head up from the ground. The hoof that had been on her back now caressed her chin, lifting her head a bit more.

The sun formed a shining silhouette around the pony that held Twilight’s face. Her eyes struggled to adjust, more sensitive to light with whatever illness was upon Ponyville.

Her eyes were able to see after the pony’s wings blocked more of the sun. Wings. Was it…

The pony leaned in even closer now, and Twilight could make out the face of a mare. Her body was faded blue, with eyes almost matching the shade, and a light, faded yellow mane and tail accompanied her. She leaned in as close as she could, a small tear trickling down from her face, and whispered. “Now.”

Twilight dug deep, searching for strength she absolutely had to find. She had to be strong, now was the time that everything came together. She fought and fought, every ounce of energy she had pouring into her horn, her body shaking, and on the verge of passing out, she began transmitting the wave.

 

**

 

“Yes!” The Doctor had managed to lock the TARDIS in the Nightmare Moon time frame and detected a second signal being transmitted. Twilight had done it. “And now of course, for me!”

 

**

 

Suddenly, the sickness disappeared from Twilight as if it had evaporated into nothingness, and she stood up tall. She felt some sort of connection, as if others out there were transmitting the same wave, and it helped her push her magic even harder.

 

**

 

_Someone found the signal. The connection is completing!_

 

**

 

With a flash, Paige found herself in a completely normal Ponyville. Twilight was no longer right in front of her, nopony was sick, and there was no terrible blackness in the distance. The Doctor’s plan had worked. The time blend broke, and everything returned to normal.

Paige quickly turned when she heard the TARDIS coming to pick her up. The Doctor had dropped off her and Jack in different times at the start of a cycle, so that all three of them would be in a different time and could have better luck finding Twilight at different locations. The doors of the blue box opened, and she hopped in, the TARDIS quickly taking off again to pick up Jack.

Jack was sitting patiently where the Doctor had told him to, and found the TARDIS materializing in front of him after a few minutes. He smiled and stepped in.

“Well, Ponyville is a mess, but some crazy one-pony band got all those flying things out of here,” Jack said.

“What? Oh, good. That’s good.” The Doctor didn’t even look at Jack, keeping his eyes focused on the monitor.

Paige noticed the ignorance; the Doctor hadn’t talked to her either. “Doctor, what’s wrong?”

“Someone or something gave off the third signal. I thought it might be someone I know. Maybe I, without knowing, taught some highly advanced physics to someone, but I’ve sent out universal calls that any space ship, no matter how old or new, would pick up. There’s nothing.”

“So… another unicorn then?” Paige suggested.

“Twilight might have shared what we told her, but you said yourself, Jack, that it would take a long time to learn the spell from scratch unless they already understood it. Something’s not right here. I still picked up something that came from my universe, and I detected it somewhere around this place and time, just like I found you in Appleoosa a couple weeks after you got there. Something really isn’t right. We’re not done here.”

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS without another word, leaving Paige and Jack behind. _Find her_. Who had the creator meant? Samantha couldn’t be here. She would have responded to his signals. Who was he supposed to find?

With everypony calmed down, many ponies returned to their day to day activities, since nothing could be immediately done about the damage the town had taken. Some ponies went back to work, others returned to their meals, and those who had no business to complete began picking up the leftover mess.

The Doctor scanned everywhere, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Just pony after pony. He didn’t know any of them. If a unicorn had managed to be the source of the signal, he or she couldn’t possibly have any relation to him-

That’s when he saw her.

Sitting at a café, eating a sandwich, sat a female unicorn. Her body was a light blue, more vibrant and brighter of a shade then Paige. Her mane had two tones to it, one a dark blue, almost like Jack’s body, and the other white. But none of this mattered at all to the Doctor. He was staring at her cutie mark.

An hourglass.

_“No two cutie marks are the same, even though ponies have similar talents,” Paige explained. “It’s something that makes everypony unique.”_

Paige said those exact words to him, yet now the Doctor stared at a cutie mark exactly like his. No slightly different color, slightly different shape. That was supposed to be impossible for ponies. _Then again_ , the Doctor thought to himself. _Just like I look similar to humans, I may look like a pony now but I’m still a-_

The Doctor’s eyes widened, and he sprinted for the table the unicorn was sitting at. He slowed as he got closer, remembering she had no idea who he was. He didn’t want to scare her off.

“Hello there,” the Doctor greeted the mare, putting on a smile. “How are you today?”

The mare looked up from her sandwich. “Hello,” she replied, giving the Doctor a friendly smile. Her accent sounded like his. “Well, now that those crazy bug things are gone, my day is going by just fine. What’s your name?”

“I’m the Doctor,” the Doctor replied. “Nice to meet you.”

“Well, if we’re introducing ourselves by job titles, I’m called the dentist,” the mare said, chuckling.

“Dentist, really? That’s an interesting cutie mark for someone who works on teeth.”

“Oh, yes, I know,” the mare replied, looking down at her cutie mark. “I’m good with clockwork as well, but I just happened to enjoy dentistry. There’s no restrictions on getting a job based on your cutie mark,” she continued, chuckling again. “Now, what about you? So many doctors and yet they all manage to have different cutie marks. What does yours look-“

The mare’s eyes froze when she saw the Doctor’s cutie mark. “But that’s…” She stood up, backing up a few steps from her stool and staring at the stallion in front of her. The doctor’s facial façade was gone, his now serious eyes returning the unicorn’s stare.

“…Who are you?” the mare asked.

“I was about to ask the same question.”

 

**

 

Twilight had been home for a few days since talking to Celestia, sad that she couldn't help except for remembering to keep her faith in the Doctor, like the princess told her.

It seemed so strange. The elements of harmony couldn't help, but just one pony could. She wished that she could meet this Doctor, but unfortunately, she didn't know him.

Or did she?

Twilight pressed a hoof to her head, suddenly getting queezy. Time travel. The thought came into her head, but she had no idea why. She’d only time traveled once, and that was for something pointless. What did that have to do with anything? _I must remember the number_. What number? Twilight didn't feel like she was in control of her own thoughts. Images started flashing in her head, of Nightmare Moon, of parasprites, of some strange, black ooze surrounding Ponyville. _Hold on, black ooze? When did that happen?_

In a flash of pain that caused Twilight to fall to the ground, memories rushed back into her head. This spot on the ground, where she had collapsed just now, was familiar. She had helped save Equestria from this spot. She had known how thanks to a pony she met long, long ago.

That's when Twilight remembered everything about the events in Ponyville that to everypony else never happened and knew she could do just as Celestia asked. Put faith in the Doctor.

 


	11. It Begins

_Location undefinable_  
_Time undefinable_

 

“I’ve never seen any readings like this before!” River fought to stay focused on her flight controls, sparks flying this way and that in the cockpit of the ship as the temporal storm shook them hard.

“I think I can see something!” Samantha shouted, looking out into space. The storm was clearing up around them, but she didn’t know if the ship would even make it. One engine was already gone, and half the wiring in the ship was blown.

“Whatever it is, we’re going to be crashing into it,” River replied. “I can’t hold on anymore. All piloting computers are down, and manual on this thing is horrid.”

“Engine 2 is critical!” Samantha was alerted by multiple alarms on her screen. “If this ship gets in any worse shape, we’re going to explode!”

“We’re almost out of the storm, just a little more…” River and Samantha nearly flew out of their chairs when the ship left the temporal storm, suddenly slowing down the ship drastically, g forces pulling both of them forward.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_42nd century_  
_Somewhere 300 light years away from Earth_

 

Samantha nearly vomited, but recovered herself, getting back in her seat.

“Are you alright?” River asked, getting a hold of herself as well.

Samantha looked down at herself. She was still all there, legs, arms, hands. She shook her head, recovering from being thrown around during the storm. “I’m fine,” she replied. She looked up again, seeing where the ship was headed. “That’s some sort of… space station.”

River frowned, recognizing the ship in front of them. She didn’t want to recognize it, or the six other ships around it, all the same. A long, thin cylinder shape, with two large wheel like structures rotating about the cylinder. Through various clear panels on the exterior of the closest ship, River and Samantha could see laser blasts, zooming back and forth, a large conflict clearly happening on the ship.

“It’s a cyber-ship,” River said.

Samantha gasped, having encountered cyber-men with the Doctor before, aware of how powerful they were, especially if they were from later years when they continued upgrading. She couldn’t imagine an entire ship of them, let alone multiple ships.

“Do you think the Doctor is on that ship?” Samantha asked.

“With all the craziness we see through the windows? Absolutely,” River replied. “And our ship’s on a collision course, so we don’t have a choice but to get on the ship and help.” River got up from her seat, pressing a button to open up a locker that luckily still functioned. The locker contained an assortment of modern rifles and pistols, all capable of handling cyber-men, some even capable of coping with Daleks if used properly. She waved her finger over the rifles, as if selecting a fine wine to go with her meal, and took one out, checking the battery of the weapon and preparing it. “Ready for a grand entrance?” she asked, smiling at Samantha.

Samantha crossed her arms, returning River’s smile. “So the Doctor doesn’t like guns, yet here you are with a whole collection,” she said with a chuckle.

“There are several things the Doctor doesn’t usually like, unless I’m the one with that thing. Guns, grenades, paddles- oh, excuse me, too much?”

Samantha blushed. “A bit, but we’ll worry about that later. I’ve seen cyber-men before while traveling with the Doctor, so I know how dangerous they are. Mind if I borrow something to shoot them with?”

“Be my guest,” River replied. “And brace for impact.”

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_21st century_  
_Ponyville_

 

The Doctor didn’t even have to say anything. When he turned away, the unicorn immediately followed him. He struggled to contain his emotions, unsure whether to be jumping out of joy, or quivering in terror. The mare behind him clearly held the same thoughts, but seemed less nervous than him. She seemed more anxious to see where the Doctor was going.

The Doctor brought the mare to the TARDIS, standing with her outside the blue phone box. “Is this a…” the mare inched forward, and the Doctor motioned for her to go ahead and open the door. She took the lead, slowly placing a hoof on the door, and swinging it open.

The mare gasped, stepping inside and looking all around. “This is a TARDIS,” she said, her face full of wonder. “And look,” she stepped up to the console, circling around it. “You’ve regenerated this TARDIS, it’s perfectly designed for a pony to use. This is wonderful, just wonderful…”

“Um, excuse me, who are you?”

Paige and Jack had waited in the TARDIS, now confused by the entry of this unicorn. Paige approached her, more curious than nervous. The Doctor let her in, so she had to be alright.

“Want your curiosity peaked, Paige?” the Doctor asked, now stepping in as well. “Look at her cutie mark, then back at mine.”

Both Paige and Jack did so, then Paige’s eyes widened. Jack pointed a hoof at the unicorn, then back at the Doctor. “Wha-“ Jack had also learned what Paige had told the Doctor when they first met during his time in Appleoosa, and was just as confused.

“So, I’ve told you I’m the Doctor, I’ve shown you my TARDIS, before I go further it’s your turn,” the Doctor said. “Who are you?”

The unicorn sat, letting out a sigh and closing her eyes. “I was called the Scout, but you can call me Minuette,” she began. “It’s the name I’ve been using on this world, and I’d rather not think about the past more than I need to.

“I’m a time lord, as I can only assume you are as well, Doctor. I chose my name because that was my purpose. I served as a scout in the time war, my job was to fly out far, using stealth to gather information on enemy movements and plans. One day, my TARDIS and I got caught in a firefight with a dalek fleet, and I was struggling to get away…”

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Exact time unknown_  
_Gallifrey_

 

Laser fire from dalek ships rained down, spitting out like hellfire on Gallifrey’s planetary shields. Time lords flew out into the fight, returning fire with every ounce of power they could muster. Daleks and time lords alike fell to the power of the other, tied in an endless stalemate of death and destruction. However, slowly, day by day, the time lords were beginning to lose.

The Scout felt a sharp pain in her chest every time a time lord ship near her blew to bits. She wanted to help, but her TARDIS wasn’t armed for a firefight like this. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, and now she was flying for her life, using every evasion tactic she knew. The daleks didn’t even care about her ship, but so much laser fire clouded space that she had to fight to dodge anyways.

“Hang on darling, we’ll make it,” she said aloud. The Scout always talked to her TARDIS, feeling a connection with it every time she touched the console. This living ship had gotten her through spots as bad as this before, and refused to give up. She loved her TARDIS for that.

The Scout moved to a different monitor, seeing if traveling through time would be possible to get out of here. Her heart sank. _Too much damage_ , she thought, seeing the power report in front of her. _The only way I’m getting out of this is by some serious flying skill_.

She had only one thing on her side: a lack of importance in the eyes of the daleks. She was caught in the firefight now, but if she could continue to move as nimbly as she was, she could leave here unnoticed and find shelter for repairs and reporting.

Making a bold move, the Scout turned the TARDIS hard, lining it up with the front line of the dalek assault. This made noticing her easier, but she had one less line of fire to worry about. Now was the time for some real piloting moves.

Two dalek ships stayed in close formation on the front firing line, one on top of the other. There was only just enough room for the TARDIS to squeeze between them, and that’s where the Scout flew. She held on tight, making her dodge pattern coordinate with being in close proximity to the dalek ships she was flying alongside. The closer she kept her ship next to the daleks, the less fire she had to avoid. Obviously the daleks wouldn’t shoot at their own kind. No one could pilot a TARDIS better than her, and she continued flying by dalek ships with micrometers in between their hulls, allowing her flight to run much smoother, all the laser fire now going around her ship instead of toward it.

Unfortunately for her, this flight pattern made the daleks more curious as to who she was. Without the Scout’s knowledge, her ship was being scanned for previous encounter records. Several seconds later, one of the front line firing ships broke off, moving into a flight pattern to follow her.

The Scout caught sight of the warning light that a ship was on her tail, and she dashed to the other side of her console, preparing a much trickier flight pattern.

She pushed her limits, taking greater risk as she moved deeper into the dalek assault. She flew over, under, and between ships, darting this way and that, until eventually, she managed to trick her pursuer, resulting in the chaser chasing her crashing into another dalek ship, the explosion giving her TARDIS a good shake but not harming her.

“Hah!” She shouted with delight, clapping as her ship reached the outer edge of the assault formation, her ship now clear from danger. However, her flight path in the denser part of the formation had prevented the TARDIS from tracking the second dalek ship that had been chasing her. Now she had no more dalek ships to fly around, there was no reason for the dalek ship to not fire everything it had.

“ATTENTION TARDIS PILOT, YOUR SHIP IS RECOGNIZED AS A KNOWN INTELLIGENCE COLLECTOR. YOUR SHIP CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION ON DALEK PLANS; IT WILL BE DESTROYED. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”

The Scout shut off the com, hanging on tight again as she flew her ship in a close range evasion pattern, having a harder time now. The dalek shipped fired incessantly, and she had nothing to hide behind, only empty space. She had to get away, if not for her life then at least for the information she had.

 _I’m honestly surprised I’ve lived this long,_  the Scout thought to herself.  _I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been in this war. I only have one regeneration left, then I’m done with starting over. Let’s see if I can live just a little bit more, and not explode before I have a chance to regenerate._

She fought and fought, but the dalek was getting smarter, learning her flight patterns and adjusting to them. She nearly fell to the floor when a laser blast managed to catch the edge of her TARDIS, causing even more damage than what was already there.

“Son of a…” checking her damage reading again, the Scout knew that there was no way out. She couldn’t beat this dalek ship through speed, and there was nowhere to hide. She needed a solution fast, or she wasn’t getting away from this.

Her eyes caught sight of an interesting reading. A strong temporal storm brewed only a few thousand kilometers away. She’d only read about temporal storms, and had no idea what would happen if she flew into it, but she couldn’t get any readings past the edge of the storm, which meant the dalek couldn’t either. This was her only shot.

The TARDIS turned hard, the dalek ship following suit. The Scout took another blast of laser fire she failed to avoid, and she screamed as she turned away from the console, sparks flying up and burning her face. Adrenaline allowed her to ignore the pain, and she turned to the console again, keeping her flight pattern erratic as she approached the storm.

Seeing where she was headed, the dalek ship broke off. Apparently, the dalek thought this was suicide. The Scout shrugged. Maybe it was, but if this didn’t work, it was better to die stubborn than by losing in a fight with a dalek.

She flew in.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_20th century_  
_50 years before the time blend points_

 

The Scout had managed to stay conscious as the temporal storm tore apart what was left of her ship. She was too busy preparing to brace for impact in order to scan what planet she headed for. A strange feeling overtook her, and she fell to the floor, a tingling sensation taking over her entire body. She closed her eyes and reached out to try and grab hold of something with her hand, but as her ship was rocketing towards the ground of the planet below, her hand had disappeared.

The TARDIS slammed into the ground, skidding across grass until friction slowed it to a stop. The impact threw the Scout into a broken electrical panel, the current running through it enough to kill her.

When the TARDIS finally stopped, the Scout fell to the floor, her body completely limp. She didn’t move for several minutes, the regeneration energy in her slowly waking her up.

She could feel the intense energy burning from within. Telling her that the crash had done quite a number on her, and it was time for one last restart.  _Better say goodbye to my old body,_  she thought, the regeneration energy giving her enough strength to stand.  _There’s a mirror around here somewhere. I wonder what I’ll look like? Whatever person I become, it better be good. This is my last chance._

Feeling rejuvenated, she moved through her completely destroyed TARDIS, on the verge of tears knowing that the dalek ship had likely done enough damage to prevent the TARDIS from repairing itself. The bond she felt with her ship was slowly fading; she would not get to share this last round with her ship.

 _Good job, my friend,_  the Scout thought, a tear rolling down her cheek.  _You did well, and you kept me alive. I don’t know how I could ever thank you, and I’ll never forget the adventures we had._

She walked slowly through the passageways of her TARDIS, feeling the regeneration energy continue to build. She picked up her pace, needing to move quickly if she wanted to see herself one last time.

After a few more turns, she arrived at a room she used for getting dressed. She had several hair care items, an assortment of clothes, and a mirror. She walked up to the mirror, ready for one last look-

“Wait, what?”

The scout did not see her form in the mirror. She thought that everything in the TARDIS seeming taller was the electric shock still messing with her head. Staring at her from her reflection was a pony, an animal that didn’t exist on Gallifrey, but she had seen on other worlds before the time war began.

“I’m sorry, what?” A gold aura began to surround the scout, her regeneration approaching. “Well…. This is going to be weird.” The gold aura shout out from every limb on her body, the regeneration beginning. Every bit of her body changed, the hair on her body turning a bright blue, her mane and tail growing longer than what had at first appeared, becoming two distinct colors. A horn slowly grew out from her head, matching the color of her body. Lastly, the shape of an hourglass took form on both hind legs, and with one, final bright flash of light, the regeneration completed. She looked at herself in the mirror again, seeing her new form. “Wait, I thought ponies with horns didn’t exist? I’ve seen them in some books, but…” she shook her head. “I don’t know why I care right now. How did I even turn into… this last regeneration will be interesting.”

 

**

 

_50 years later_

 

“I had crashed just outside of Ponyville, the town we’re in now,” Minuette explained, nearly done with her story. “Knowing that my TARDIS was dead and beyond recovery, I used some emergency measures I stored in the ship to destroy what remained, not knowing where I was or what the discovery of such technology would do on this world. Slowly, I learned the culture, began to fit in, and studied magic hard. The concept is fascinating. I learned a passive memory spell so that I could live in Ponyville this whole time without ponies wondering why I’m not aging nearly as fast as them. As those strange creatures began to attack the town, I felt the strange energy that only those who have time traveled would detect, and knew that somehow, someone had created an isolated time blend. I had no idea if anypony would even be able to help, but I stayed right where I was, and transmitted the syncing frequency that your TARDIS and something else made. By pure luck, you came when you did, and here I am. I’m spending my last regeneration as a pony, and that’s my story.”

The Doctor didn’t move a muscle while Minuette told her story. His mind fought with overwhelming joy and terrible sadness. Another time lord still existed, he wasn’t alone! However, Minuette had come to this universe before the end of the time war. She didn’t know yet. How could he tell her?

He decided that the only way to explain things was with the truth. He sat down closer to her, and began to explain everything. Who he was, the progression of the time war, and the end of the time war. Minuette fell to tears when the Doctor finished, and he pulled her in to a hug, letting her cry on his shoulder.

“It’s alright,” the Doctor said, holding her tight. “I’ve got you.”

Paige and Jack sat farther away, understanding that this was a private moment and not wanting to make it awkward. The Doctor sat with Minuette for a long while, giving her all the time she needed to deal with the truth of matters.

Slowly but surely, Minuette’s crying slowed to sobs. “I just… I can’t believe it’s gone,” she said.

“It’s not entirely gone,” the Doctor replied. “It’s out there, stuck in a different universe, safe. I just haven’t figured out how to get it back yet. There are a lot of people who don’t like Gallifrey.”

Minuette nodded, slowly recovering herself. “Thank you, Doctor, for telling me,” she said, pulling away from the hug. “Oh dear, I’ve soaked your shoulder,” she frowned.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine,” the Doctor said, giving her a grin.

Day turned into night, and the Doctor kept telling stories. Minuette had waited so long for something familiar, and the Doctor saw that all she needed to feel better was to sit and listen to stories from her own universe, from someone she could relate to. The Doctor shared his adventures since the time war, of his journeys and companions. Minuette asked questions, and even began to laugh as more and more stories were told. Jack already knew many of these stories, but stopped whispering with Paige to allow to her to listen. Paige was filled with as much wonder as Minuette, hearing tales of beauty, comedy, tragedy, and absolute wonder. The Doctor had done so much in his life, saved so many people; Paige was astounded by the way he just kept on helping those in need. He never stopped.

Late in the night, the Doctor arrived at Benzo with his stories, and the mountains made of pure ruby. He told Minuette about the crash, discovering he looked like a pony, meeting Paige, and their adventures. He let her try on his sonic screwdriver and use it, which she did successfully after a few attempts. He told her of Chaos, and the creator he had met, the metaphor about finding a key to lock the door between the universes and the void, and finally, discovering the time blend and noticing her signal, setting up signals in the other two major points of the blend.

“I’ve been here since before Twilight arrived in Ponyville, she is certainly talented,” Minuette said. “She has accomplished much, and turned into a sort of unnoficial leader in Ponyville. She and her friends were the ones to stop Nightmare Moon, back in the first point you saw.”

“She proved her magical talent when she transmitted the signal. But I must say, your talent is equally impressive. I’d love to know how it feels to do such things,” the Doctor replied.

“Oh, it was quite strange to do at first. I wish I could describe it to you, it’s such a strange sensation when you do it. Watch.” Minuette concentrated, and her horn began to glow. She levitated the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver into the air, which the Doctor had left off his leg after Minuette tried it.

“Brilliant!” the Doctor shouted, and Minuette chuckled, lowering the device to the floor again.

Minuette turned when she heard something behind her. Jack had stood up, and retrieved a pillow for Paige, who had fallen asleep on the floor.

“What time is it?” Minuette asked, suddenly realizing how long they had been sitting there.

“About four in the morning,” Jack replied. “Paige was really interested in the story until you got to the part with her, then her body gave up and she started falling asleep.”

“Oh my, I had no idea… We didn’t even eat dinner!” Minuette said, laughing. She turned back to the Doctor, smiling at him. “Thank you, Doctor, for everything. I’ve waited so long to hear any news of my home, I’ve had no way to get off this planet with the current technological state of society here. The ponies here are so nice, but I didn’t want to live the rest of my life secretly being someone else. You helped me a lot tonight.”

“I only wish the circumstances were better,” the Doctor said. “Chaos is growing stronger, so strong that he even broke through a time lock, a storm appearing in the time war itself. And if I don’t stop him, then every single universe in existence will fall into the void.”

Minuette was silent for a moment, then stood up. “Well Doctor, even one universe being destroyed is too much, let alone every parallel universe out there. You certainly have my help.”

The Doctor stood up as well, holding out a hoof. Minuette shook it, and the Doctor grinned. “Glad to have you on board, Minuette. I need all the help I can get.” Another time lord. Another living, breathing, time lord. The Doctor nearly needed a turn to cry.

“Now, you’ve been having trouble tracking Chaos, but I’ll bet that his power isn’t just derived from the void,” Minuette said, moving to the TARDIS consol. “With the explanation of magic you’ve been given, I bet you that Chaos has to retrieve some of his power using the same universe energy that all of us unicorns use. And that means, there will be a distinct signature left behind.”

“Every unicorn’s magical signature is different?” the Doctor asked.

“I may not have known about this universe energy business, but you’re not the first to wonder about magic. Many ponies have tried to figure it out in the past. A few unicorns came close, and I read about them.” Minuette began pushing buttons, setting something up. “You know how I transmitted a certain frequency to resync Ponyville? Well, combine that idea with your knowledge of universe energy, and you’ve got magic completely explained,” she continued. “Horns act like receivers for the universe energy all around us. It takes in the universe energy and uses it to manipulate things in the world through all sorts of spells. The unicorns from long ago found out that every unicorn has their own underlying transmission that occurs when they cast a spell, similar to the underlying energy level that pervades all of space and tie in this universe. So, if we look at recent activity over Ponyville… ah hah! Come look Doctor!”

The Doctor rushed over to the monitor, seeing the energy readings from Ponyville that Minuette had pulled up. A few hours before the Doctor had arrived, there was a huge energy spike. “So that’s Chaos?”

“Indeed it is,” Minuette said. Jack approached the TARDIS console now, curious to see this, and Paige had woken up, now sitting in the corner where she had fallen asleep, listening. “It’s difficult for the TARDIS to pick it up, but because of how much energy he’s using the TARDIS can find him. His magic is a mix of taking energy from the void and from this universe. That spike that’s just a bit larger than the other little fluctuations, that’s me giving off my frequency transmission.”

“So we may not be able to predict Chaos’s movements…”

“But you can track him a lot easier. You can keep up a lot more.”

“You are… a wonderful addition to our team.”

“I know.” Minuette chuckled, smiling proudly.

Everyone remained silent for a few minutes, thinking about the journey ahead of them. Paige moved to join the Doctor, Minuette, and Jack, as they all stared at the TARDIS monitor.

“So this is it then,” the Doctor said. “The creator told me  _find her_ , that was the next step before moving on. I’ve found you, and we know how to track Chaos. Now we follow his path, and search for this mysterious ‘key’ the creator mentioned while we’re at it. No more running, no more shots in the dark, now we truly work to stop him.”

“It begins,” Jack said.

 

**

 

_Far away from Earth_

 

Chaos stirred from his slumber, realizing the time blend he had created failed. The Doctor was good, but Chaos had plans to stop him.

 _There are things even you fear, Doctor,_  Chaos thought to himself.  _I wonder how you’ll enjoy some familiar faces._

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_Canterlot_  
_60 years after the time blend points_

 

Steel smiled and waved as his good friend approached. “Vigilant, great to see you!” the royal guard said. “It’s been a quiet day. Hopefully you get some more excitement in the night shift.”

“Same here,” Vigilant replied. “There’s always a couple fun things that happen at night.”

“So what did you do on Saturday?” Steel asked, using his magic to levitate his helmet off of his head.

“Same old, same old, went to my favorite club. It’s the best club in Canterlot.”

“I figured, but we were gonna meet up at midnight, remember? Did you end up finding somepony you liked?” Steel shot Vigilant a wink.

“No no, nothing like that,” Vigilant replied, shaking his head. “Oh, I remember now. I left the club at eleven thirty so I could meet up with you,” he said. “I took the shortcut down that long alleyway we use, but when I was walking, something came out from behind a dumpster.”

“What was it?”

“I don’t know… it was scary,” Vigilant continued. “It rolled out really slowly, and turned towards me. It had all these weird ball things on it, and a bright blue light on its head. I think it… yeah, I remember now. It shot at me.”

“Wait, what?” Steel didn’t know what to say now. “Shot what at you? Steel, you’re freaking me out here. You look perfectly fine, are you playing with me?”

“No, it definitely shot me,” Vigilant said. “It killed me too. That really sucked, I can’t believe I forgot to let you know, man.”

“What the heck are you talking about, Vigilant?”

Steel grew wide eyed when a blue light appeared, from inside his best friend’s head. Vigilant lost all emotion in his face, and a strange object with a blue light pushed out of his forehead.

“Oh my-“ Before Steel could finish his sentence, he was dead.

Vigilant turned away, preparing a transmission. His voice was no longer his own, it now sounded completely robotic. “TRANSMISSION TO ALL DALEKS IN CANTERLOT CASTLE, THERE ARE ENOUGH OF US NOW. INFILTRATION OF THE CASTLE IS COMPLETE, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT PHASE. IT BEGINS.”


	12. Attack from Within, Part 1

_The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_Canterlot_  
_60 years after the time blend points_

 

Another member had been added to the Doctor’s team, and now the true hunt for Chaos had begun. The next trace of Chaos was at Canterlot Castle, several decades in the future from where they found his disruptions before.

On a high balcony in the East wing of the castle, the TARDIS faded into existence. Paige yawned as she stepped out, discovering a glistening night sky above her.

“I stayed up all night, then slept for a short while, and now it’s night again,” Paige said. “I guess when you time travel, you could take a nap then jump right back to where you were.”

“It’s a great trick at parties,” Jack said as he stepped out of the TARDIS.

“Quiet down you two, something’s wrong.”

The Doctor came out of the TARDIS with Minuette, the newest member of the team. The two looked around, over the balcony, into the air, at windows, analyzing everything. All was quiet.

“It seems just fine to me,” Jack said. “But this is where we traced Chaos’s energy readings.”

“It’s too quiet, and that’s usually the problem,” Minuette replied.

“Every time we’ve come to the castle, guards have instantly rushed to see who we are. There’s no one here stopping us from standing on this balcony,” the Doctor said.

“Which means that there’s something darker behind the silence of the night around us,” Minuette continued.

“Exactly,” the Doctor smiled. “Minuette, you and I should explore together more. I like how you explain things.”

“I agree, we seem to finish sentences.” Minuette chuckled while Jack rolled his eyes.

“Just what I needed, someone to add on to the Doctor’s talking,” Jack smirked, until he heard a sharp scream. Realizing that Paige was not next to any of them, the three’s eyes widened. “But you tend to be right, unfortunately,” he said, before the three took off towards the sound.

 

**

 

Princess Luna was pleased with the status of the night. All was calm in Canterlot, and no guards had reported anything strange to her yet. Perhaps the whole night would be quiet, and she could catch up on her other duties besides guarding the castle while the sun rested.

From the other side of the throne room, Luna heard the large door burst open. A male unicorn, one of the best and brightest in the royal guard, stumbled in, screaming, as if in agony.

“P-princess!” the unicorn shouted, after which Luna immediately rose, wanting to aid him in any way she could. “N-no! Don’t come… closer…”

“Lieutenant, what is wrong?” Luna asked, her voice filled with concern. “Please, tell me at once.”

“There’s something… in my head…” the unicorn raised a front hoof, holding his forehead as his eyes squinted shut. “It wants… no, I could never do tha…. Ahhg!”

“Lieutenant, you need help. But I can’t help you unless you explain what’s going on.” Luna’s concern grew along with her fear, having never seen anypony act like this.

“It wants… to kill… to ex…ter…” The unicorn slowly rose to his hooves again, a blue light appearing from within his head, directly above his eyes. “No, I’ll fight it… you’re not going to… control me…” the guard ran towards the nearby window, and before Luna could stop him, he jumped out, falling to the ground far, far below.

The night was no longer still and calm. All Canterlot could be in danger; every hallway held the potential for nightmares to lurk inside. Luna shivered, but raised her head high, focusing on the task at hand. She had no idea what possessed the royal guard, or whether more were affected. Every corner of the castle, every room, all of the castle grounds, now posed a potential threat. The castle was being attacked from within its own walls.

 

**

 

Rushing around to the other side of the TARDIS, the Doctor found Paige reeled back in fright, at the sight of a dead stallion on the floor in front of her. She panted, trying to catch her breath, and the Doctor rushed over to calm her, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

Minuette moved closer to examine the body. She recognized the armor as a sign that this stallion had been a member of the Canterlot royal guard. He was a unicorn, his helmet on the floor a short distance away.

“Any idea how he died?” Jack asked.

Minuette lifted the unicorn’s head, checking for trauma. She found nothing, so she moved on, searching for injuries, entry wounds, any traces of magic. “I don’t see anything yet, but let me look deeper.”

Dental books weren’t the only medical documents Minuette had read. Her horn began to glow, and her magic scanned through the body, looking for any possible cause of death.

As she examined the unicorn, his body glowed a light green. “What are you doing?” Jack asked, looking closer.

“This spell scans bodies for injuries,” Minuette said. “Unfortunately, I’ve never used this spell before, so I’m not sure how to interpret the response I’m getting. It feels like… some sort of shock to the system. Maybe electricity? Some sort of energy beam? I don’t know for sure, but he has no broken bones, no scrapes, on the outside he looks perfectly fine.”

The Doctor managed to calm Paige, bringing her back to the moment. She still cringed in pain at the sight of a dead pony, but knew that focus was needed if they were going to save those that were still alive. “By your analysis, Minuette, we’re not looking for something of this world?”

“60 years is a long time for technology to improve, but not at this rate,” Minuette replied. “Whatever did this is not from Earth.”

“We need to get to the princesses. Now.”

 

**

 

Luna whirled at the sound of the doors being kicked open, preparing her magic to defend herself. Her horn ceased glowing when she saw the Doctor, and some of her tension eased knowing that he was present.

“Doctor, I am grateful to see you,” Luna said. “Something dark is amiss in this castle.”

“I regret to inform you that I’ve found one of your guards dead, princess,” the Doctor said. “We found him on a balcony.”

Luna bowed her head in sadness. “Then that’s at least two already,” she said with a sigh.

“Two? Is there a guard here?” the Doctor asked.

“No, he is gone,” Luna replied. “Doctor, I believe something is possessing the guards. How many of them, I do not know. A lieutenant barged in, warning me not to come close. He fought bravely, but something was inside his head, telling him to… kill…”

“Possession?” Minuette thought hard, going through her memory of what creatures could do such a thing.

The Doctor’s eyes widened. “I need to talk to this guard, if he’s infected with whatever this possession is and capable of fighting it, then he might be able to give us insight, and I might be able to save him. Where did this lieutenant go, are you sure he’s dead?”

“He jumped out the window, sacrificing himself. So if whatever was in his mind overcame him, he wouldn’t go after me.” A tear swelled in Luna’s eye, hating that anypony on this world need sacrifice themselves for her life.

“How long ago did he jump?”

 

**

 

This was it. Lieutenant Silver had accepted the risk of the job when he signed up for the royal guard. Protect the princesses, at any cost. He was glad that his death was at least honorable.

As he fell through the air, he still refused to let what was inside him take control. It was a losing battle, but Silver wanted to hang on to himself until the end. He had no idea what happened to him, his memory clouded on what had happened several weeks ago. But he wouldn’t let whatever tried to control him be the last thought he had before death. He focused hard, feeling the cool night air swirl around him, the peaceful quiet of the night.

Silver closed his eyes, beginning to let go. Whatever wanted control of his mind would not have it for long. The sounds around him began to change, a strange whirring overcoming the volume of the wind.

 

**

 

“We’ve only got one shot at this!” the Doctor shouted. “We have to catch him!”

“You’ve never seen me fly a TARDIS, trust me,” Minuette said. The Doctor had given her control when she offered her flying expertise. “Now shut up and grab on to something, I’m flipping the TARDIS to make it horizontal. I’ll catch him.”

The Doctor nodded, and wrapped his hooves around a pole. Minuette clung on to the console as the TARDIS faded in to existence, slowly rotating as it did so. The Doctor went from standing on the floor to dangling by his grip of the rail, gravity pulling him down in the newly oriented ship. With a bit more adjustment from Paige using her magic to move the controls, the TARDIS aligned itself, the doors swung and a unicorn came falling through.

 

**

 

Silver did not hit the ground as expected. Instead his eyes bulged open at the shock from splashing into water. He looked around, swimming for the top, finding himself in an indoor pool. Indoors? Where had he gone?

He emerged from the water for breath, and climbed out of the pool, coughing a bit. As he stood, a sharp pain hit his head, and the struggle began again to keep who he was.

Silver barely heard the sound of hoofsteps over the ringing in his ears, struggling to keep whatever tried to possess him at bay.

“Liutenant!” the Doctor yelled, rushing to his side. “Stay strong, fight it, I know you can.”

“It hurts…” Silver groaned, falling to the floor again, his eyes shut tight. “Who are you… how did I get here…”

“I’m the Doctor, and it doesn’t matter where you are, what matters is you stay with me.” The Doctor laid down on the ground in front of Silver, getting close so he could talk calmly and quietly, hoping in turn to calm the guard in front of him. “Focus on who you are. What’s your name?”

“S-Silver…” he moaned in response.

“Great, Silver, nice to meet you,” the Doctor said in as happy a tone as possible. “That’s a great name for a royal guard. How long have you served?”

“Ten years…” Silver answered. “There’s something… in my head… it wants…”

That’s when the blue light came alive again behind Silver’s forehead. The Doctor jumped up from the ground, backing up a ways from the guard. _No,_ he thought to himself. _Chaos brought them here. One universe is bad enough, but now they exist in two._

The Doctor’s worst fear laid before him. A pony fighting to hold on to the soul that was already dead. A creature far worse than anything the Doctor encountered in all his time in the universe was trying to take his place.

“Silver, listen to me,” The Doctor said, laying down again. “Do you have a family?”

“A… a wife…” Silver said. “And our son…”

“Silver, what’s inside you wants to take control of everything you are, but you can fight it, I know you can,” the Doctor said urgently. “If you let it take control, you will lose yourself. You’ll try to kill me, you’ll try to kill the princesses, and you’ll even try to kill your family. You’ll lose them all, but you can fight. If there’s anything I’ve learned from being in this universe, it’s that magical things can happen. Please, Silver, prove me right. I beg of you, prove me right.”

Silver processed the Doctor’s words, images of his family appearing in his mind. He closed his eyes harder, grinding his teeth, moaning out in pain. As his entire body trembled, the blue light in his head faded, and his body relaxed.

The Doctor’s face turned to one of intense joy. “You did it Silver, you’re alright,” the Doctor said. “Open your eyes, I’m here.”

Silver opened his eyes slowly, standing up and finally seeing the pony that had helped him. “Thank you, Doctor, whoever you are,” Silver said. “I can still feel whatever it is fighting, my head still aches… but it is better. I can manage.”

“Excellent, I’m glad my friend and I caught you.”

“Speaking of which… how did you manage to catch me with a pool? And do you know what’s inside my head?”

“How I caught you with a pool, that’s a great story…” The Doctor’s face turned to a frown. “However, the more important story is grim.”

“Please Doctor, all that you said about me being taken over, I need to know what I’m fighting, however bad.”

“Come with me.”

 

**

 

Minuette had stayed in the control room so she could reorient the TARDIS as well as the pool after the Doctor slid down to meet up with the Lieutenant. She looked over her shoulder when she heard the Doctor come in, and a white stallion, clearly a member of the royal guard, entered. The lieutenant was tall and muscular, his body trained for the job. His mane and tail were groomed in a short, tight fashion, and some of the armor the guards wore still latched to his body.

“Hello, I’m Minuette,” she greeted the stallion. “Doctor, is he alright?”

“He’s fine,” the Doctor replied. “But the situation is impossibly worse than we thought.”

“What is it? What’s affecting the guards?”

“You’re familiar with them, but not like this,” the Doctor said, his face solemn. “You haven’t seen them grow, adapt, evolve into a force more powerful than they even were before. You’ve only seen what they were like in the time war.”

Minuette gasped, in disbelief of what she thought the Doctor was suggesting. “You don’t mean…”

“Daleks,” the Doctor replied. “Some of them survived the time war, as I told you, but I didn’t tell you all the details on my encounters with them, hoping the day would never come that you’d have to see such horrors again. They developed the ability to hide parts of themselves in creatures they’ve killed, and wait until a proper time to reveal themselves. It’s the perfect cover up.”

Silver sat down as he began to breathe rapidly, a panic attack settling in. The Doctor rushed over, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I don’t understand everything you said, but that one part…” Silver said as he fought to slow his breathing again. “Am I… dead?”

The Doctor nodded slowly. “Yes, there was no way to ease into that point. But that doesn’t matter, listen to me,” the Doctor said. “All your memories, all your feelings, the part that makes you who you are, that’s still there. The rest of you was just a pile of cells, multiplying and dying off, in an endless cycle. You’re still here because your loyalty to the princesses and your love for your family is so strong, that you can prevent a Dalek from activating its own creation. You are still Lieutenant Silver of the royal guard.”

Silver blinked, trying to understand it all. “But… I don’t even remember…”

“You wouldn’t until you’re activated, and it’s good that you don’t, don’t think about it, it might help them activate you,” the Doctor said. “These creatures are from another world, they have technology far beyond your comprehension.”

Silver paused, then shook his head. “This… incredible flying device you have… creatures from another world… this is a lot to take in at one time…”

“We understand that, but we need your help,” Minuette chimed in. She moved closer, leaning her head down and looking into Silver’s eyes. “There is a lot to understand and no time to explain, but just know this: stopping the daleks from taking you over is something remarkable. Many others have likely failed where you have succeeded. You have shown your strength; use it to help us save Canterlot castle.”

Silver listened intently, and nodded, standing up again. “I sacrifice much to be a part of the royal guard. I am willing to put aside my own worries and help you. If we can stop the assault here, we can save a lot of ponies’ lives.”

“That’s the spirit,” the Doctor said, grinning. “Let’s save the castle.”

 

**

 

Paige and Jack stayed behind with Luna while the Doctor and Minuette ran off to catch the fallen royal guard. They looked up at the sound of the TARDIS fading into existence in the throne room, and three ponies stepped out from the doors. 

“Lieutenant Silver, thank goodness you are alright,” Luna said. “Your bravery will not go unnoticed, and you shall be handsomely rewarded.”

“Thank you, princess, but I do not require such reward,” Silver replied. “My job is to protect you, and at the moment I jumped, I was the immediate threat. The Doctor has explained what he could to me, and I fear that the royal guard has been compromised.”

“I believed such when I saw how you were acting,” Luna said. “Doctor, how can I help?”

“Princess, you can help, but we’re going to have to keep distance from each other,” the Doctor said. “If they find out who I am, I’m going to be quite a large target. I can only assume they’re after you and Princess Celestia, and if we stay away from each other, I might be able to distract them at an opportune time.”

She nodded in understanding. “I will focus my efforts on protecting my sister, and the civilians of this castle. I wish I could guarantee you that I am not part of this, but for now we will work individually.”

“Thank you, princess,” the Doctor replied. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep this world safe, and get these evil creatures off this planet. 

Luna turned and flew out the window, moving to a higher point in the castle. The Doctor immediately turned to his companions. “We don’t have much time to prepare. If some of them are activating, then all will be soon, and the assault begins.”

“The assault from who?” Jack asked.

“Daleks.”

A stunned silence filled the room. Paige didn’t recall all of the wide variety of creatures the Doctor described while he shared his story with Minuette, but the word dalek was something she had learned to fear from his tales. A relic of the time war, and the worst enemy the Doctor had. Jack and Minuette had personal experience to back their fear.

“Chaos is getting more and more dangerous with what he’s bringing through,” Jack said. “This is big.”

“This is something Chaos thinks I can’t handle. He thinks that I’ll be too scared, or that these daleks will be too much. And I’m not going to lie, they might be. But I do know that I’m used to only having one companion, and now I have three. We have five brilliant minds here with Silver helping, and I’ve seen how much strength can come from the trust in this friendship.”

Minuette stood up taller. “Just because I fell out of the time war doesn’t mean I can stop fighting. I won’t sit and let another world suffer our fate.”

“If I have to, I will die defending this place,” Silver said.

“Heck, I’ve died defending places from daleks before, don’t see the problem in doing it again,” Jack said.

The Doctor looked toward Paige, approaching her. “I won’t tell you this isn’t dangerous, you heard stories of the daleks. But I need you here.”

Paige paused before responding, then smiled. “I’m actually curious to see what these things look like,” she said.

“Curious Paige, that’s my girl,” the Doctor replied. “Let’s get to work.”

 

**

 

Luna rose to the highest tower, folding her wings upon landing. She now stood above all of the castle, all of Canterlot, and from here could see much of Equestria. Her kingdom was in danger, and she needed to work quickly. She bowed her head, and her horn began to glow. She had no idea if the possessed royal guard would receive this message as well, but she had to accept the risk, the stakes too great.

 _“Attention all royal guard, this is Princess Luna,”_  Luna was speaking telepathically to all royal guard, both on and off duty. She only hoped that the possession of some of her guard stopped the transmission to them as well.  _“Those of you in the castle, the guard has been compromised. If you have not already seen them, some of the ponies you call your comrades, if not your friends, have been taken over by an unknown force. Try to prove who is still fighting for us rather than against us, and defend this castle. Evacuate those residing in the castle and get them to safety. To the guard off duty, I must call upon you now. Protect Canterlot, for the city is likely these creatures’ next stop. Good luck.”_

Luna ended her transmission, and opened her eyes. She moved to the set of double doors that closed off a large room, the centerpiece of the circular balcony that made up the highest tower. Inside, the princess of the sun slept, her dreams troubled by Chaos’s presence in the universe.

 _Sleep well, sister,_  Luna thought. _I will protect you._ She concentrated hard, beads of sweat dripping off her face. Slowly, a magical shield rose around the room, fortifying the room with the greatest magical protection she knew. Luna had fought in wars with her sister where both of them were at risk, but never like this. Now the enemy was on their doorstep, a creature even the Doctor feared. If Luna were to perish tonight, she needed to know her sister would live on.

The moon was full, high in the sky, shining down upon Luna’s beautiful night. No creature would take this castle from her. She prepared herself to fight.

 

**

 

The Doctor had a plan for the group to split up. Minuette would travel with him, and Jack, Paige, and Silver would travel together. He needed to know how many dalek ponies were activated, and if any natural daleks were in the castle before forming a strong plan of defense. They had no weaponry, but both the Doctor and Paige carried book bags filled with various electronic and defensive equipment the Doctor had in his TARDIS. “You couldn’t have a sonic blaster or something stashed in there, could you?” Jack said, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t do guns, and it wouldn’t do much against the daleks anyways,” the Doctor replied. “Don’t worry, I explained all the equipment to Paige as I filled up her bag. The items in there will hold back any small dalek attacks until we can figure out how to kill them all or get them all out of here.

“And that brings me to my other point,” the Doctor continued. “If you see an actual dalek, destroy it by any means you can find. But as for the pony daleks, unless you have to, don’t kill them. Silver is living proof that the dalek stealth plan is done via transmission, so if we stop the daleks, we can save the rest.”

“I only hope they’re not too far gone,” Silver said. “I can’t imagine how many have been taken over.”

Silver turned his head suddenly, raising a hoof to his temple. Everyone took a step back, but Silver reassured them. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said. “I’m getting a message. The princesses can communicate telepathically to all of the royal guard.”

The travelers stood by, waiting for Silver to finish receiving the message. “It’s a warning. She’s alerting all the royal guard of the situation. But if I’m getting the message, and the daleks have equipment in my head… can they hear this?”

_PLANS MUST BE ACCELERATED-_

“Woah,” Silver’s eyes opened, not knowing where that thought had come from. “I think I just… heard them. They know.”

The floor suddenly shook, the sound of an explosion coming from below. “We need to move,” the Doctor said. “Everyone go. Stay in touch.”

Paige, Silver, and Jack nodded, beginning to head off. The Doctor caught Jack with a hoof before he left. “If anything happens to her…” he said softly.

“Doctor, I could literally take the bullet for her and get up again,” Jack said, smiling. “She’s in good hands. Well, hooves.”

The Doctor nodded, and let Jack go. He and Minuette ran in the opposite direction, ready to fight.

The two descended the castle quickly, staying as quiet as possible. Every floor they descended they scouted the area, looking for activated daleks. All the royal guard they encountered were on alert, defending their positions and staying close together. The Doctor had never seen the full extent of Canterlot castle, and his fears grew as they continued to travel. So many hallways, so many twists and turns, so many places to hide, which could be a double edged sword for their efforts.

“There can’t be that many if we haven’t found any at all yet,” Minuette whispered as she and the Doctor continued traveling.

“Don’t be so sure, some of them might just not be activated,” the Doctor replied, looking around another corner. “They’re being clever this time, more clever than I’ve ever seen them try to be. And it makes me nervous.”

The Doctor brought Minuette to a halt at a new hallway, pulling her back behind the corner. When both peeked out, they looked closer at the long, wide space. The walls were bare, but a generously decorated red carpet ran down the middle of the entire hall. White pillars stood in even intervals on both sides of the hall, supporting the ceiling above.

Minuette and the Doctor could see a royal guard walking towards them, except the earth pony was no longer himself. The eye of a dalek stuck out from his head, and his own eyes had lost all the heart behind them.

“There’s a closet door off to the side,” the Doctor noted, keeping quiet as he fished into his bag. “Take a hold of this device with your magic,” he said as he pulled out several cords. Minuette lifted them up, examining them. “I’ll get the dalek to end up on his back, then throw these out. They’ll automatically tie his legs together, then we can push him into the closet. One less dalek to deal with.”

“How are you going to make him fall over?”

Minuette turned to discover the Doctor was no longer next to her. He had taken advantage of the dalek looking away from this end of the hallway for a moment to move closer, behind a pillar. He pulled another small object out of the bag with his mouth, and Minuettte’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

Silently, the Doctor tossed the object onto the floor in front of the dalek’s path. After several more steps, it arrived at the object and slipped, stumbling over all four hooves and crashing to the ground.

“Now!” the Doctor shouted. Minuette came from behind the corner and used her magic to throw the cords out. Dozens of tiny lights all over the cords lit up, and the whole thing began to make a high pitched whir as it locked on to a target, flying to the dalek’s limbs like a magnet to metal, and tying up tight.

The Doctor rushed forward, pushing the dalek across the floor. Minuette moved to open the closet door, and the Doctor pushed the trapped dalek in.

Minuette followed, and the three had ended up in a large supply closet. The dalek began shouting, its voice a mixture of a dalek and the stallion that was once underneath. “You all will be exterminated! The daleks shall take this castle by force!”

One of the dalek’s front hooves suddenly lifted off of the leg as if it were a lid, and a dalek blaster rose out. The Doctor pushed the dalek over, causing a large stack of parchment to blow up.

“Doctor, we need to get away from this thing!” Minuette shouted.

“Hold on, just a moment more…” the Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver, scanning the dalek, searching for the transmission source. “Come on, give me some sort of information, damn dalek security codes…”

“Give me your sonic screwdriver!”

“Why?” the Doctor asked.

“SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.”

Both looked down at the dalek, who had now stopped struggling to break free. “I clearly don’t have time to explain,” Minuette replied. The Doctor felt a tingling sensation on his front hoof, and lifted it so Minuette could more easily take the screwdriver off with her magic. She examined it for a moment as she held it in the air, raised a hoof to push a few buttons, then scanned the dalek again. “Almost… there, got it. Run!”

The Doctor didn’t ask questions this time. He kicked the door open, and after he and Minuette ran out, slammed it shut. The two pivoted hard and ran down the hallway, and after diving behind a pillar, an explosion came from the supply closet they had been in. A harsh gust of wind from the blast hit the two of them as they kept their heads down, chunks of wood, stone, and burnt parchment flying everywhere. After a few seconds, the Doctor cautiously raised his head, and tapped Minuette on the shoulder to let her know the situation had calmed.

Minuette stood, and levitated the sonic screwdriver back onto the Doctor’s foreleg. “That was close,” she said. “I’ve never seen a dalek do such a thing.”

“The takeover of a living creature is new too, and I guess they’re continuing to evolve tactics,” the Doctor replied. “Daleks think they’re too perfect to be willing to destroy themselves like that, but now that we know there isn’t even a dalek mind inside beings taken over, there’s no reason a dalek couldn’t just blow the being up, they’re only tools. I think it wanted to stop me from scanning for information about the transmission, and took the easiest path to doing so. Speaking of info…” the Doctor looked at his sonic screwdriver. “It’s processing information. You got something out of that dalek!” The Doctor looked towards Minuette again, beaming. “You’re brilliant!”

“I told you, I was a scout in the time war,” Minuette said, chuckling. “I know a thing or two about dalek technology.” She paused. “You’re brilliant too, but in a… weird way. Did you use a banana peel to make that dalek slip and fall?”

“Yes.”

“You saw that as the best option for tripping someone?”

“I’ve come to discover that bananas are a very universal defense mechanism. And delicious.”

Minuette laughed hard at that, nodding at the Doctor. “Well then, Doctor, I guess with my brains and your bananas, we make a pretty good team.”

“The only two time lords in all the parallel universes right now,” the Doctor replied. “Shall we go on with saving everyone with a combination of brains and fruit?”

“Let’s.”

 

**

 

While the Doctor and Minuette went the less commonly used portion of the castle, Jack and Paige followed Silver to the main portion, where a lot more royal guards were around. Several tried to tell Jack and Paige to evacuate before Silver waved them off. Guards were talking, holding down positions, sharpening weapons, and gathering shields. The scene looked like a preparation for war. All the ponies were moving quickly; there was certainly a confrontation already happening.

One royal guard’s eyes widened when he saw Silver. The grey Pegasus, smaller than the average royal guard, rushed up to the lieutenant, panting for breath. “Ensign Wing reporting sir,” he breathed with a sharp salute.

“At ease, ensign.” Silver returned the salute promptly. “What’s going on here?”

The ensign relaxed his body again, his eyes full of pain and fear. “Lieutenant Strong was in command of us sir, but he… he turned into one of those things,” Wing explained, his body trembling. “We… we didn’t know what to do. He killed private Thomas, with some sort of beam from his hoof. One of us stabbed him with a sword, and he just kept on going like nothing happened.” Wing shook more and more as he spoke. “It took all of us to stop him… he was our commanding officer for four months… I’m the next in the chain, but I only just got here… I don’t know what to do…”

Silver let out a sigh. “I know what you’re going through, Wing, and I share your pain. Strong was a friend of mine, but we have to carry on. I have no command at the moment, I typically manage other officer duties, so I will take command for now.”

“Thank you, sir…” Wing replied, a clear wave of relief washing over his face. “I.. I’ll do my best… it’s just… what are those things, lieutenant? They’re us, but they’re not us. It’s taking all we have to keep them outside, but… we’re fighting ourselves!”

Jack stepped up, smiling wide at the ensign. “Hey there, the name’s Jack Harkness, and I don’t work in this castle but I’m a captain.” Wing almost moved to attention before Jack stopped him. “No, don’t worry about any of that. You look pretty strong, ensign. You good with any of these spears I see the guards working on?”

Wing wasn’t sure how to react at first, but nodded. “I can hold the spears while I fly, and I’m pretty accurate at throwing them,” he replied.

“Excellent, ensign,” Jack said, smiling. “See? You’ve got no problem fighting. Sure the enemy is a bit strange, but just know that they’re not the ponies you know. They tricked you to make you think they were. You can make it through this, and when you do make it through this and the castle’s safe, maybe we can grab some drinks. I’m not too bad with spears either.”

Wing’s cheeks turned red, but he smiled. “I, uh… thank you captain. I won’t let either of you down.” He turned and moved to help with more preparations.

Silver looked at Jack. “That’s not how I typically help officers with morale, but you did a good job of getting him focused again,” he said.

“I have that effect,” Jack replied.

“As I can see.” Silver chuckled, then looked at all the preparations going on. “It sounds like there’s an assault on the lower levels of the castle happening already. I need to check on the state of things,” he said. “I’ll also try to get nonlethal defense mechanisms put in place, but it seems that we may have no choice, given the power of these creatures.”

“Do what you can, Silver, and we’ll help in whatever way we can too,” Paige replied. Silver nodded and moved to talk with some other officers and the ponies he’d assumed command of, leaving Jack and Paige alone.

“Well, Paige, I was hoping to get to know you better,” he said. “Just you and me, saving Canterlot from a dalek assault.”

“As long as you don’t start flirting with me, I think we’ll make a great team,” Paige replied.

“Aw, where’s the fun in not flirting?”

Paige laughed, and lowered her book bag to the ground, emptying the contents and sorting them. “Let’s give these to the royal guard, they should help,” she told Jack. _I hope the Doctor’s doing ok,_ she thought to herself.

Silver didn’t have the telepathy skills that princess Luna had, but he used a bit of magic to project an image of Jack and Paige up on a wall, with a written message attached to the virtual image, explaining that they were here to help and all should follow their instructions. He trotted towards another lieutenant who just entered the room, and since they shared the same rank, with the desperateness of the situation they skipped formalities and gave each other a simple head nod.

“Lieutenant Silver, glad to see you here,” the other lieutenant greeted.

“I only just arrived. What’s happening at the front?”

“From what we can tell, only a few of these imposter things were higher up in the castle with us, and they’ve been taken care of,” the lieutenant explained. “But there’s a lot of them on the bottom floors. We’ve been holding them off, but the line is getting pushed back more and more. Very soon, this preparation room will be where the fight is.”

“Don’t worry, lieutenant, some experts from another place have come with me, the ones I showed on the wall,” Silver replied. “They have defense tools we’ll be able to use, and with all the reinforcements we’re getting here, this room will be as far as they go. As long as we can hold them off here, the castle is still secure.”

 

**

 

“I wonder why there are so few royal guards in this part of the castle? We haven’t seen any in quite some time.”

“We headed for the back of the castle, I think. There’s not as much over here to guard,” Minuette said.

“It seems like a pretty easy line of defense to break though.”

“With the location of Canterlot castle, an attack from the rear is unlikely. Tthere might be attacks already going on at the front of the castle, causing a concentrated response.”

“But if there are daleks that aren’t activated, still mixed in with the guard…”

Minuette froze in her step as her thoughts began to match the Doctor’s. “Then the back of the castle is a clear shot for disguised daleks to move higher.”

“And every pony we passed on the way here was probably a dalek.”

“We have to warn the others!”

Minuette and the Doctor turned, but gasped and ducked their heads as a blast shot towards them. Two pony daleks blocked their return path, both with their hooves raised and blasters protruding from them.

“Run!” the Doctor yelled.

The Doctor grabbed one of Minuette’s front legs with his, and yanked her around to face the other direction. Another blast blew chunks out of a nearby pillar, causing Minuette to hold up a hoof for cover. Neither wasted time looking back, and both darted around the corner, running as fast as they could.

The daleks followed behind, able to run with the swiftness of the pony bodies they’d taken over and didn’t lose any distance from the Doctor and Minuette. Occasionally a blast whizzed by one of their heads, the running fortunately lowering accuracy.

Minuette and the Doctor looked this way and that, frantically searching for a way to lose the daleks. They were so focused on looking around that they almost ran into two more activated pony daleks in front of them, hooves raised.

The two time lords skidded to a halt, quickly running out of options. There was a room with a library inside on the wall next to them, but the entryway was barred, with a lock on the door.

“EXTERMINA-“

“Wait wait wait!” the Doctor yelled. He raised the hoof with his sonic screwdriver on it menacingly. “I have a weapon too, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“ANALYZING.” The daleks stopped, allowing both the Doctor and Minuette to let out a breath of relief. The dalek eye coming from one of the dalek’s head pointed itself at the sonic screwdriver, all of them standing in silence. In the commotion, they lost their bag of supplies to put up a good defense, so they were stuck with their wits only. “THIS IS THE DEVICE THAT SCANNED OUR SYSTEMS. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS BEYOND THIS WORLD. DALEKS DO NOT EXIST IN THIS UNIVERSE AND YET YOU KNOW OF US. YOU MUST BE QUESTIONED, BUT FIRST OTHER PLANS MUST COMMENCE.”

One of the daleks moved up behind the Doctor and used a hoof to slap the sonic screwdriver up, and another dalek picked it up with his mouth. One of the daleks had a key the royal guard used to open the library wing next to them, and unlocked the door. Minuette and the Doctor were pushed inside, and the door shut and locked behind them.

“WHEN PLANS ARE COMPLETE, YOU WILL BE QUESTIONED AND THEN EXTERMINATED.” The daleks turned and moved away, headed in the direction the Doctor and Minuette had come from.

Minuette walked up to the bars, looking through. “The daleks are getting through from the back, with no one in their way.”

“And they took my sonic screwdriver. We have to count on the others for now, because we’re stuck.”


	13. Attack from Within, Part 2

Several officers had gathered around Paige, watching intently as she demonstrated some of the devices the Doctor gave her. “These devices have little offensive capability, but the hope is to save as many of them as we can,” she said. “I don’t understand everything about these things, you’d have to talk to the Doctor for that, but I know that if they threaten us, there’s nothing we can do but stop them with force.”

“Such strange devices… where did these come from?” A lieutenant asked.

“Uh…” Paige bit her lip for a moment. “Orders from the princesses not to tell.”

“Understood, miss,” the stallion replied, and Paige let out a breath of relief. “These just might allow us to hold the assault here.”

“Paige,” Jack ran up to the group, nodding at the officers before turning to Paige. “They’re almost here.”

“We need to get to work.” The lieutenants nodded, moving to take charge of their groups.

 

**

 

“We must stay calm, Doctor. There’s nothing we can do.”

Minuette was desperately trying to comfort the Doctor, who sat in the center of the room they’d been trapped in. He was stuck and hated it. There was always a way to get out, always a way to escape, some little trick he could pull off to save the day. But now, surrounded by books, walls, a locked door, no sonic screwdriver and daleks on the loose, his emotional stability slowly crumbled. He bowed his head, closing his eyes. “They’re all in danger, and it’s because of me.”

Minuette felt pain in her heart from the Doctor’s words. He helped her in her time of need, and he was the only being in the world who could share the pain of her past. She refused to give up on the Doctor. “It’s not because of you,” Minuette said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “We’re all here, and there’s nothing we can do to change that.”

“But Paige, Jack, all those ponies…”

“Stop it. You didn’t let the daleks in, Chaos did. Paige and Jack won’t give up, and neither should you.”

The Doctor looked up at Minuette, and she stared back. Another time lord. The only other time lord in the universe stood in front of him, giving a shoulder to lean on, and this shook the Doctor. A feeling that mirrored Minuette’s came over him as he realized it too. The only two time lords in the universe. The only two that knew of the time war, that lived it, that now mourn for those lost. The Doctor always pushed away thoughts of the past, keeping himself up for the sake of those around him. But now, locked in this room with him was someone who he could be himself around. He sighed, and admitted to her; “I… I don’t know what to do…”

“Well, we’re in a locked wing of the castle filled with books. I bet you there are some pretty interesting ones here. Maybe even something that will help.”

The Doctor looked around at the books, then smiled at Minuette. “We don’t have much time. Better get reading,” he said. Minuette returned the grin and ran to a shelf.

 

**

 

“LOWER ASSAULT TEAM IS BREAKING THROUGH. THE NEXT PHASE IS COMMENCING.”

“REPORT STATUS OF COVERT ASSAULT.”

“DALEKS WERE DELAYED BY TWO BEINGS. ORIGIN IS BEING ANALYZED.”

“BRING RESULTS OF ANALYSIS WHEN COMPLETE. WE WILL EXTERMINATE ALL THAT RESIDE IN THIS PLANETARY COMMAND POST, AND THEN WE WILL EXTERMINATE THE PLANET.”

 

**

 

Luna calmed herself, keeping her breath slow. She let the night overtake her, her sense of the world increasing as she channeled her powers through her body. She could hear the fight below, the pain of the royal guards who fell, and the orders to fall back that she dreaded to hear. She could hear the soft, rhythmic breaths of ponies sleeping in her kingdom, safe and warm, with nothing to trouble their dreams. If the assault stopped here, that wouldn’t have to change.

A new sound hit her ears, one that she did not expect. Hoof steps. Heading upwards. Ponies were headed for her.

This made no sense. The entire guard should be busy with defending the frontal assault. Whoever was coming did not have friendly intent.

Luna’s mane darkened as she channeled more magic through her, preparing spells that only the highest of alicorns could perform. She opened her eyes once more, and they glowed with a ferocity that Luna only used when necessary.

“You kill my guards, you threaten my castle, but I will not move,” Luna said. “Just as the guards put their lives on the line for this castle, I will put mine on the line for my sister. You underestimate the power I have.”

Luna rose herself into the air, prepared to defend Celestia to the end, ensuring that at least one of them would make it through to the rising of the sun. Dark clouds formed over the peak of the castle, lightning and thunder crackling as Luna’s horn shined bright.

 

**

 

“They’re coming!”

A royal guard burst into the room, and all the guard waiting readied themselves.

“Stay strong everyone!” Jack shouted. “If you have to attack, try to aim for the light coming out of the head!”

The headache in Lieutenant Silver’s head practically disappeared. Now he had even more to fight for, making it that much easier to hold back the beast trying to break through his mind. If he could help stop the assault here, he could return to his family, and that was more motivating than anything.

He gave some orders of his own to Ensign Wing’s group, but he mostly relayed the orders to Wing and had him give them out. With this and the help Jack had given earlier, he saw confidence slowly growing in Wing, and he smiled. That confidence would be needed and would make him a great officer later.

Wing moved up to Silver, giving him a salute. “All members ready sir,” he said.

“We can do this, Wing,” Silver replied. “Let’s give it our all.”

“Yes, sir.”

Silver ducked at the sound of an explosion from down the hall. Something had blown a hole through the wall, and through the smoke, several bright blue lights began to be visible.

“EXTERMINATE!”

 

**

 

The Doctor flipped through page after page, finding everything interesting but nothing of value. “Equestria has a lot of history for their short time of existence,” he said.

“Don’t worry about any of the books in the section over there. They’re all just filled with magic spells, I’ll have to read them if we want to make sense of it” Minuette replied. “I see why this wing is locked now. There’s some powerful magic over in those books.”

“I’ve read some historical facts that seem to be taboo, I think this is a locked section for various reasons.”

“Then they locked us in the right place. We should be able to find something helpful.”

“I hope so… I just don’t know where to look. We’ll have to be locked in here for a lot longer than I want if we’re going to find something.”

“There has to be some sort of clue…” As the Doctor moved on to the next book in his pile, Minuette perused the shelves. “It would be helpful to find something about this key the creator mentioned to you… but ponies wouldn’t know terms like Chaos, creators, destroyers or… the key to the void?”

“It would be great if they just had a little book called ‘The Key to the Void: a time lord’s guide to saving every parallel universe in existence.’” The Doctor chuckled.

“Well, take out all of that last bit, and you have this book. It looks like this book is older than the castle, but the title on it… ‘The Key to the Void’.”

The Doctor slammed his book shut, looking at Minuette with a blank stare. “What.”

“Yes. I just found it. Section 30, second shelf.”

“We’ve been here for half an hour.”

“Yes.”

“And there’s a book with a title literally telling us that it’s the one we’re looking for, right on the cover.”

“Yep.”

“What.”

“Want to stop reading random history things and learn clues about saving the universe?

“Yes, please.”

 

**

 

Possessed royal guard became visible on the staircase leading to the highest tower. Luna’s horn glowed brighter as she put up barriers on the stairs, in hopes of slowing them down. They held at first, but soon after encountering the barriers, one of their hooves opened, and a blast came out that shattered it. The barrier Luna placed over Celestia’s chamber was a thousand times stronger, but she could only hold one of those at a time. Her defensive options were limited.

“You leave me no choice, creatures,” Luna said. Her eyes lost all color as a white glow replaced it. The clouds hovering over her crackled more, and with a wave of her hoof, a bolt of lightning crashed down onto the stairway.

The initial blast sent the lead creature flying off the tower, falling to the unforgiving ground below. The next attempted to jump the gap created from Luna’s blast, but failed. The third had wings, and took off into the air, shooting off a blast from his hoof.

Luna swiftly dodged the blast, and returned one of her own, a spark of energy flying from her horn. The pony took the blast front on and fell.

“This castle is not yours!” Luna yelled, her magic burning from deep within her, every inch of her body feeling the power she used to keep herself and her sister safe. More pegasus guards appeared, the same weaponry protruding from their hooves.

“You do not stand a chance,” Luna said softly. “You will all fall without… what is that…”

Luna looked up, seeing several lights appear up in the sky. Something was descending, and she could only assume that it was not something friendly. This fight was not over.

 

**

 

“Fire the first device!”

As daleks ran out from the smoke, several royal guard activated a pulse of energy from the device designated to strike first. An advanced EMP blasted towards the assault, and while this wouldn’t harm a normal dalek, it proved affective against their covert creations. The possessed guards screamed as they fell to the ground, holding their heads before going silent.

Silver let out a sigh, wishing that more than he could be saved. There was no reaching the possessed guard without risking the lives of all the other ponies here, and he wouldn’t do that.

Paige flew out in front of the guard, dropping small devices in intervals across the floor. When each device dropped, a light blinked and it activated, a small energy barrier specifically designed to counter dalek blasts appearing. As more blasts shot out from the smoke, the barriers proved to work efficiently.

In the next phase, pegasus members of the royal guard flew overhead, ready with the same device the Doctor and Minuette had used to tie legs together tight. Unicorns began using their magic to attempt to stun the daleks, aiming for the legs and proving successful with a few. Nopony had been lost yet, and Silver wanted to keep it that way.

 

**

 

“It’s written by a pony called Starswirl the Bearded. I think I’ve heard of him,” Minuette said as she laid down next to the Doctor with the book. “He was an old, powerful unicorn, who lived long ago. This book could even be the original copy, it’s at least several centuries old.”

“Starswirl was mentioned in another book I picked up, you’re right about who he is,” the Doctor replied. “Let’s flip through some of the pages, find the important parts.”

The Doctor cleared his throat, volunteering to read first.  _“Many times when performing my magic have I felt a presence beyond that which twists and turns around us every day._  Hmm, he really was brilliant. He seems to have somewhat of an understanding about universe energy.” The Doctor continued.  _“I take from the world around me to hone my magic power, and I give back with the performance of my spells. None of the energy of life is lost when no dark magic is performed. However, to truly understand magic, the darker side must be attempted, and there is something more out there, something that I can only begin to understand. A feeling of nothingness, timelessness, emptiness, yet somehow great power. As I continued my research, I discovered a great secret of the world- a place more dangerous than any foe imaginable, creatures that have come from it, and although retrieving it is beyond my power, a key to stop it. I call this nothingness the void, and in this book share my findings on the void and the key to locking it.”_

 

**

 

Luna grew confused and fearful as the lights continued to descend. As they got closer, she could faintly make out their shape. She had never seen anything like this before. Shining metal towers, with spherical shapes all over them. Two arm-like structures were attached to the core, one on either side, and a bright blue object, having somewhat the appearance of an eye, stood out from the top. She recognized the same blue light from the possessed ponies’ heads, and she now had confirmation that this possession was technology, not magic.

“Who goes there?” Luna bellowed, using her royal voice to be sure that all heard her.

“WE ARE THE DALEKS. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”

Luna raised her head and shot out a blast from her horn. What had managed to blow a hole in the castle didn’t even touch the descending dalek. Some sort of force field dissipated Luna’s magic completely.

She grew panicked as more controlled ponies appeared, and the daleks above her increased their speed. She needed to figure out how to fight these creatures, but for now she just needed to get them away from Celestia. Several blasts began flying in her direction, and in a split second she flew downwards, avoiding the fatal rays. She took off away from the tower, the daleks and controlled pegasi following suit, continuing to fire at her.

Luna weaved in between the castle’s towers, letting the castle take damage rather than risk her own injury. Blast after blast followed her, and she returned some of them when she got the chance. A pegasus or two fell, but any time she aimed at one of the daleks, nothing happened.

Around and around they flew, Luna keeping the daleks away from her sister and away from the rest of Canterlot. Her options were few, and she’d have to make up some new tricks in order to defend herself.

She pivoted around a corner quickly, causing one dalek that didn’t quite see her to split off from the pack, flying wide around. Some of the castle had caught on fire from dalek blasts, and she used her magic to stop the flame. A plan brewed in her head, and it would cause a lot more damage to the castle, but she felt no concern for that. All her worries went to the ponies in and below her home.

The one dalek that had flown wide was now on Luna’s left side, its view occasionally obstructed by towering parts of the castle. She waited, observing the timing, and when at a split moment that the dalek’s view became obstructed, she teleported, reappearing in a castle hallway lower down.

The two daleks tailing Luna could see her through the windows lining the hallway, and swooped down, a couple of pegasi still following behind. Luna smiled when she saw that the third dalek had lost sight of her. Exactly as she had planned.

The daleks crashed through a window behind Luna, tailing her once more. A large window in front of Luna marked the end of the hallway, and she shot out with her horn again, smashing the window in to pieces. She would fly out, turn hard, and lose the rest of the daleks so she could gather her thoughts.

Before reaching the end of the hall, however, her exit became cut off. The third dalek floated down in the way, and now Luna was trapped in a narrow hallway with daleks on both sides of her, their weapons aimed.

“EXTERMINATE!”

 

**

 

Where the unicorns failed to hit the pony daleks and trip them over, the pegasi were picking up the slack. Wing and other pegasi flew with spears, aiming for the legs since they knew that what would usually be a fatal blow would not slow down these creatures. Wing made another successful hit, tripping a dalek before it could break down one of the shields, and urged for the ponies flying under his and Silver’s command to keep going.

He glanced over at Jack, who was helping set up more of these defense devices. Strangely enough, that stallion had given him the confidence he’d been looking for when he joined the royal guard in the first place. He felt on top of the world, and while he knew he needed focus on the task at hand, every once in a while, he let himself slip in a thought about getting that drink.

 

**

 

 _“There is something that only the highest of magical beings, such as Celestia and only recently myself, have understood. We are not alone in life. I do not mean that there are more than just ponies, there are of course dragons, griffons, and all sorts of other living creatures on this world. But what we have felt and grown to understand is that our_ world _is not the only one. Beyond our wave of existence exists infinite others, different worlds, different creatures, entirely different realities. These realities all have different magical potential, and thus can only meet each other under certain circumstances.”_

“That sounds like what the creator explained to you,” Minuette commented.

_“Usually, the void is the fabric that holds all different realities together, while at the same time keeping them far enough apart to prevent damage. However, things have begun to tear holes in the void, allowing realities to collide with one another, and dangerous creatures to sprout from it. The void is ruled by something beyond even Celestia’s comprehension, let alone mine._

_“If this continues, reality will begin to fall apart. The void is like ice on a lake; one tiny crack will spread, until soon one step on the frozen water will cause everything to break apart._

_“Through the cracks that have been forming in the void, we can get a larger glimpse at the other realities. The void is now filled with doors from one reality to another, and if one had the magic to do so, they could travel to a different realm. I do not have the ability to travel there, only to see it. However, in this instance, I hope that my curiosity never be satisfied, for these doors need to close before too much damage is done.”_

 

**

 

To Luna, time seemed to slow down as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She suppressed her fear as a dalek blast came at her from in front and behind, closing in on her with intense speed. She needed the timing to be perfect, had only fractions of a second to react, and being a tenth of a second off could mean her death.

Just before the blasts hit her, the daleks still focused on her form, she teleported, reappearing behind the dalek that had been in front of her. She had stayed where she was just long enough to not give the daleks time to react and move, and their blasts hit each other.

Luna watched as two of the three daleks exploded, relief flooding over her. Something caught her eye when the blasts in the daleks. The force field around them seemed to react to the blast, but it still went through, hitting the eye. This was the weak point, and one dalek remained for the use of this new knowledge.

The third and final dalek flew out from the window Luna had broken, two pegasi following behind. She concentrated, focusing her power into a thinner beam, and let loose, using up even more of her magic to precisely guide the blast. Her magic pierced through the force field, and the dalek began to fall to the ground below, for the top half of it no longer existed.

Luna felt triumphant, but the battle wasn’t over yet. After dealing with the controlled pegasi, she had her royal guard to save.

 

**

 

“Stay strong, everypony!”

Silver could not believe how much of the royal guard had been taken over. This was by far the stealthiest opponent Canterlot ever faced. Nearly all the lower floor guard units had been taken over, leaving few left currently on duty to defend.

The shields that had been put up were holding, but not well. Blast after blast beat them down, and Silver knew they couldn’t hold forever. Two ponies from their side had now fallen, one unicorn taking a well-aimed blast from one of them and one pegasus that got caught between blasts when trying to dodge. Things were not looking good.

“Everyone, move back!” Jack yelled. “Those shields are starting to fade, we’re going to need cover and we’re almost out of defenses!”

The guards listened and moved to obey. Several dalek ponies began to weave in through the shields without being taken down, and suddenly the front line was much closer. Pegasi began flying lower, while earth ponies and unicorns began a close-range fight.

“This isn’t going to work,” Paige said, her eyes turning fearful. “Jack, we’re no match for them without more firepower.”

“You’re right,” Jack replied, throwing down the last cord he had. “We can’t stay here! Silver, we need a place to be when these shields break, or else we won’t be standing here much longer.”

“Agreed, even though numbers are fairly even, that’s only because we’ve taken down so many, and who knows how many might reinforce them,” Silver shouted. Using his magic, he concentrated hard, lifting a decorative statue that sat on the edge of the hall, and with careful aim, launched it at the few dalek ponies who had snuck past the shields and assault. “Front line, move NOW!”

The royal guard knew not to second guess an order in the heat of battle, so the few holding back the dalek ponies in the front threw themselves out of the way, and the statue came crashing down, sliding across the floor.

Afterwards, a pony dalek leapt out from behind the crashed statue, hoof pointed directly at Silver. Jack yelled in alert, and Silver stared, frozen in shock for a moment too long.

 

**

 

“REPORT.”

“LOWER FORCES ARE BEING HELD BACK. THREE DALEKS WERE SENT TO ASSIST WITH EXTERMINATION OF HIGHER POWER BEING AND ALL WERE LOST.”

“SEND MORE DALEKS. THE ONES WE CREATED FOR INFILTRATION GAVE INTELLIGENCE BUT ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH. THE DALEKS WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.”

“SENDING MORE DALEKS NOW. AND SCANS ARE COMPLETE OF ACQUIRED TECHNOLOGY. IT IS A SONIC DEVICE. THIS INFORMATION COMBINED WITH KNOWLEDGE OF DALEK KIND LEADS TO PROBABLE CONCLUSION. IT IS THE DOCTOR.”

“BRING THEM ABOARD.”

 

**

 

Minuette took a turn to read.  _“Time and space, all around us, is being injured by these cracks in the void. But deep within an ancient temple in Saddle Arabia, near the very beginning of written history, lies a key, and a prophecy. I wish I could have met these ancient ponies, for some of their greatest magic still lies in the secrets of untranslated scripts; their knowledge still baffles me. The unicorns from the older time managed to see what I see now, and something landed in their desert from the stars. When they looked at it, they named it the key, and wrote the prophecy that I shall tell you._

_“’Time is out of balance as world hits world. The Gods cannot determine the destiny of all things. The key will either lock the door, and all shall become what once was, or the loss of balance will cause the end of all things.’”_

“These ancient ponies did manage to find out a lot,” the Doctor said. “But I don’t know about one part. If we defeat Chaos, things will return to what they were before he came?”

“Chaos is likely leaving some paradoxes behind in his wake,” Paige replied. “Like that story you told me about… who was that… the Master?”

“True,” the Doctor nodded. “When he was stopped, time reversed and only those who have traveled in time remembered any of it. The same will likely happen then if these old ponies are right.”

“Let’s keep reading, we can skip a bit, he starts rambling here.” Paige continued. “ _I am sadly not the one who can retrieve this key. Though I wish I could, the key is now guarded by the children of the void, and that is not a force I can challenge.”_  Paige paused. “Hmm, children of the void. What do you think that means?”

“Minuettte.”

“He goes on about the children of the void, but he doesn’t really describe them.”

“Minuette. Look up.”

Minuette looked up from the book, and her heart nearly stopped. Her and the Doctor had been teleported and were now on some sort of ship. Surrounding them on all sides were not pony daleks, but the real thing. One of Minuette’s worst nightmares now faced her again after so long.

 

**

 

Silver closed his eyes but felt nothing. He heard a blast fire, but he still stood. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the pony dalek on the ground, and princess Luna in the air.

“Go!” Luna bellowed to the guard, her royal voice coming back to her. “We need to regroup higher in the castle. I will guard your retreat.”

Jack and Paige stared in awe at the princess. She held herself majestically, her eyes pure white, her face cold yet caring. They followed the royal guard in their retreat as Luna sent out a wave of energy, knocking back all the pony daleks attempting to follow.

“Get higher ground! A stronger foe approaches!” Luna shouted.

“A stronger foe?” Paige said as they ran.

“That’s not good,” Jack replied. “That means real daleks on their way. I don’t know how we’ll survive that with no weapons and no Doctor.”

 

**

 

“ARE YOU THE DOCTOR?” One of the daleks asked.

The Doctor shrugged. “You caught me red handed. But wait, I don’t have hands! Ah-ha! Jokes on you-“

“YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATE-“

“Wait-wait-wait, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the Doctor said, returning to being serious. “This other pony with me, she’s a unicorn. You’ve clearly been here a while, so you know what unicorns are now,” he continued. “This unicorn has more power than any unicorn you’ve faced. She’s a scary one, and she could also teleport us right back to the planet if we want, so you’re going to do things by our terms.”

Minuette stood and whispered into the Doctor’s ear. “Doctor, no unicorn could teleport that far, and I’m not that powerful. Are they really going to fall for-“

“I once told them that a jammy dodger was a TARDIS self-destruct button and they believed me for a good five minutes,” the Doctor whispered in reply. He turned back to the daleks. “So, glad to see that you’ve calmed down with your ever so present desire to exterminate me. Which one of you is in charge of this little vessel?”

“I AM.” One dalek rolled forward, designating itself as the commander. “EXPLAIN YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS UNIVERSE DOCTOR. EXPLAIN.”

“I’d love to ask you the same question,” the Doctor asked. The Doctor looked at Minuette for a moment and tapped his foreleg with a hoof. Minuette nodded at the motion and began looking around while the Doctor went back to talking. “I try to take a vacation from saving universes from you, and then you come to the universe I’m in!”

“THAT WAS NOT OUR DOING,” the dalek replied.

“As I suspected.” The Doctor began pacing in front of the commander. “And your little infiltration plan here is very strange. All this stealth, you only ever use that to trap other people, like me, but this time it was your plan of attack. These ponies clearly wouldn’t be much of a match for you, why not just exterminate them all?”

“WE WERE DAMAGED WHEN SENT TO THIS UNIVERSE BY AN UNKNOWN ANOMALY,” the commander replied. “WE NEED LABORERS TO MINE THE RESOURCES OF THIS PLANET SO WE MAY RETURN TO OUR UNIVERSE. THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION DETERMINED WAS TO INFILTRATE THE PLANET’S GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE.”

“I see, limited resources and not looking too good,” the Doctor said. “I’ll tell you what little anomaly brought you here, it was a creature called Chaos. And while he wants to mess with me, he’s not making any friends, only creating more enemies. Listen to me.” The Doctor looked straight at the commander. “You understand enough about parallel universes to know your presence here is a mistake and dangerous. Reality will fall apart, and if that happens, not only will there be no species for you to exterminate, there won’t be any daleks. Think about it. I may be your only chance to keep on exterminating, keep on striving for domination of the universe. And as I say all this, you’re trying to kill my friends.”

“THE DALEKS DO NOT FEAR THIS CREATURE YOU SPEAK OF. WE SHALL RISE AGAIN AND RULE THE UNIVERSE-“

“But there won’t be any universe to rule!” The Doctor shouted. Minuette nudged him when he walked by, and he nodded. “But fine, the one time I try to be diplomatic with a dalek, you don’t want to listen, so things will be going differently.” The Doctor started to smile as he paced around. “Usually, your technology is way too smart for me to crack, but at the moment, you’re weakened,” the Doctor began. “You’re fearful, even though you don’t show fear. Even with your weakened state, the technology of dalek ships would still be hard for one time lord to crack.” The Doctor stopped and raised his right front hoof into the air. “Fortunately, there’s two time lords here.”

While the Doctor was finishing his last sentence, Minuette began levitating the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, having located it in the room. She flew it on to the Doctor’s hoof, and as soon as it made contact the Doctor activated it, disrupting the lighting system in the room and shutting the lights off.

 

**

 

Jack, Paige, and the royal guard ran up through the castle, still hearing sounds from below where Luna fought off the controlled guard, covering their escape.

“Where to, Silver?” Jack asked as the group paused to take a breath and get everypony accounted for.

“The upper level throne room would be our best option,” Silver said. “It’s a large room, but with decent high ground and few entrances. If our unicorns can have some moments to rest, we’ll be able to create some magic blockades.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack replied. “Let’s get up there.”

Everypony grouped close together once again and moved upwards through the castle. The upper level throne room wasn’t far, and there were only a few more hallways to pass through to reach there. When the pony leading the way turned a corner, however, his scream alerted the rest behind him. The pony collapsed to the floor, and all halted, not wanting to jump out at whatever just blasted one guard down already.

“Everypony, back up now!” Silver shouted. The guards backed up slowly, taking positions behind pillars and waiting.

Around the corner came five true daleks, and Jack’s ears flattened. “Aim for the eye!” Jack yelled. “It’s the only way! Keep moving back, these things are far more powerful than what we’ve been facing!”

Blasts began to fly from the dalek arms, and now the guards were caught out of a favorable position, stuck with the daleks in front and not enough cover to run without getting shot. Unicorns fought with all their might, while pegasi and earth ponies quickly discovered their spears were worthless.

“Oh no…” Paige cowered as the battle raged before her, and Jack knelt by her side, keeping her safe. “We were winning, but I don’t know what to do now, I don’t know how to help…”

“Trust me,” Jack replied, hoping to comfort Paige. “I know the Doctor. He’d never let a dalek win.”

 

**

 

Now the only illumination in the room came from glowing eyes of the daleks. The sound of hooves shuffling could be heard as every dalek went crazy, yelling for the Doctor and activating infrared vision.

Before any of the daleks could get sight back, the Doctor and Minuette were gone.

“FIND AND EXTERMINATE THEM!”

 

**

 

Minuette and the Doctor managed to bolt down a corridor in all the commotion from shutting off the lights. Minuette levitated the book with her, knowing they should keep it if possible. When they ducked in to a doorway, the Doctor began to whisper. “They really are weakened from the trip here, Chaos didn’t do a good job this time around. That never would have normally worked.”

“What’s the plan?” Paige asked, keeping her voice low as well.

“We need to find the transmitter going to all the controlled ponies and shut it off,” the Doctor replied. “I don’t know what that will do to the ponies who were altered, but we have no choice. After that, we need to figure out how to destroy this ship and get off it at the same time.”

“How do you blow up a dalek ship from the inside?”

“It’s like I said, one time lord couldn’t figure it out, but I’ve got another time lord right here.” The Doctor smiled. “Let’s think it over together while we search. Be careful.”

The Doctor and Minuette moved out, lucky that the daleks lost the ability to track life forms in their ship. As they whispered, the Doctor learned countless things about the daleks that he had never known, Minuette’s expertise from her job as a scout in the time war combining with the Doctor’s modern knowledge of the daleks. Before long they had a plan, but first they needed the transmitter.

“A map panel! And this time the TARDIS isn’t broken and unable to translate things.” The Doctor motioned for Minuette to follow him to what he found. The Doctor looked both ways before sitting and activating his sonic screwdriver, pulling up schematics of the ship.

“Transmitter, transmitter… ah! Right… oh. Well.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Minuette said.

“It’s sort of… in the room we were in before. The one with all the daleks. But so is a computer with the ability to carry out our plan. So, if we can get back in that room without being seen, we can do this.”

 

**

 

Wing wanted so badly to help, but he saw how other attempts at throwing spears did nothing whatsoever. Nopony could get the aim just right; somepony would need to get closer. He watched as these metal creatures got closer and closer to striking fatal blows on his fellow guard members and wouldn’t stand for it.

He picked up a spear in his front hooves and took off, soaring above the daleks. Silver yelled out, but Wing didn’t listen, carefully spinning in the air, twisting and turning to avoid careful aim from the dalek’s eyes as they tried to track him. From in front of the daleks he flew downward, and just as he positioned himself directly in front of one, he launched the spear and pulled up, flying straight for the ceiling.

The proximity and momentum caused the spear to make contact with the eye. The dalek began to spin, shooting randomly, and managing to hit a fellow dalek and blow it up.

“Yes! There you go Wing!”

Wing looked down to see Captain Jack jumping and shouting, smiling up at him. He returned the grin and was ready to try again, but his eyes began to piece together a puzzle.

Captain Jack had come out from behind cover. The blinded dalek continued to spin, shooting every which way. And soon he’d line up with the unnoticing captain.

“No!”

Wing dove with all his might as the dalek spun, still firing.

 

**

 

“FIND THE DOCTOR AND HIS ASSOCIATE. THEY MUST BE EXTERMINATED.”

Daleks worked diligently in the command room, working to fight on the ground while also searching for any signs of the Doctor aboard their ship. There were enough daleks around to make Minuette and the Doctor gulp in fear as they stepped into the room, ducking behind a consol.

“ONE DALEK HAS LOST VISUAL. ATTEMPTING TO REGAIN TRANSMISSION.”

“Trans… what?” The Doctor risked peeking over the console to see what was going on. He did not like the sight he saw. Screens were displaying a fight between the royal guard and real daleks, who had gone down to the planet’s surface. But this wasn’t right; daleks didn’t sit and watch others fight. But then he saw another set of screens, showing pony daleks fighting against princess Luna as she slowly worked on backing away from them. The Doctor ducked below the console again and turned to Minuette.

“They’re even worse than I thought. They don’t have many daleks on this ship, so they sent down armor shells with transmitters in them. That’s why they’re fighting like this, they’re confused by this world and aren’t risking their own lives. We stop them now, and the whole fight stops. Go.”

The Doctor ran out from around the corner, activating his sonic screwdriver and killing the lights again. Daleks were more prepared this time, some immediately activating infrared vision. They caught glimpses of heat signatures, dashing between consoles, and the room began to flash as daleks shot out at the ponies running through.

“I never thought I’d try to help a dalek, but I guess these ponies have made me kinder,” the Doctor said, his voice barely audible above the attempts to shoot at him. “I gave you a chance, and you didn’t take it. Now you’ll get a reminder of what I’m capable of.”

The daleks had expertly avoided damaging their own ship when shooting at the Doctor, but when the Doctor jumped onto a console, one dalek made a move too soon, and shot at him.

The Doctor leapt away, and the blast hit the console. Sparks flew, and the monitors blinked back on for just a moment, only to show the daleks on the planet surface shutting down.

“There we go! But that’s not all. Two time lords can do twice as much as one.”

Red lights began to illuminate the room as an alarm sounded. While the daleks had been distracted by the Doctor, Minuette had been working diligently, using her knowledge from the time war to hack in to the damaged dalek systems and start a ship self-destruct.

“Doctor, time to run!”

Minuette darted out of the room before letting her location get discovered, and the Doctor followed suit as the daleks started trying to disarm the self-destruct.

The Doctor panted as he caught up to Minuette, both sprinting through the ship. “Are you sure you know how to do this next part?” he shouted.

“Are you ever sure your plans will work?” Minuette asked.

“I usually don’t have a plan!”

“Well then, we’re looking better than usual!”

 

**

 

All the daleks began to move slower, whirring to a halt. One more blast escaped the blind dalek, however, and headed straight for Jack.

Jack had been watching Wing, but as Wing got closer to his position he looked back, seeing the blast headed for him. He gasped, but before the blast made contact, Wing flew in front of it.

“No!”

Jack cried out as Wing kept flying by him. His wings ceased to move, and he skidded in to the ground as he landed, his body in a crumpled heap. “No, please no!”

Silver stood by other members of the guard but began to stagger. He fought to keep his eyes open, only to collapse to the floor.

 

**

 

Minuette dove through a doorway, and the Doctor caught his breath as he ran through as well. The two were in a scout ship attached to the dalek ship, and Minuette began messing with the controls.

“Have you ever flown one of these?”

“No, but I’ve gathered a lot of information about these little ships, so… I think we’ll be fine.” Minuette looked confident as she sat herself down, beginning to push buttons.

“Well, this ship’s about to blow up, so I’d love it if we got out of here!”

“Don’t worry! I’ve flown a TARDIS through thick and thin, I can fly this like a leaf on the wind.”

The Doctor and Minuette nearly fell over as the little ship shook, disengaging with a rough clang from the main ship. “I meant to do that!” Minuette called out.

The Doctor held on for dear life, with nothing to strap himself into since these ships were meant for one dalek pilot and nothing else. While the daleks had been badly damaged, the Doctor still couldn’t help being immensely impressed that Minuette had hacked a dalek computer and now flew one of their ships that usually only worked with a dalek in the pilot’s seat.

Both ponies began to scream as the ship rocketed towards earth, the sounds of the main dalek ship exploding coming from behind them. Soon their little ship became surrounded in flame, and they had to wait and hope that earth’s atmosphere would show itself in a moment.

“Come on…” Minuette urged the ship to keep going. “Come on!”

The flame cleared, and the two found themselves no longer a part of the night sky, but underneath it, safely back on earth. They cheered and shouted as Minuette flew for Canterlot castle, the battle now over.

 

**

 

“No… please… Wing…”

Jack knelt over Wing, holding a hoof to the ensign’s face. Wing coughed as he looked up at Jack.

“Why did you take that shot for me… oh god, why did you have to take that shot for me… I could’ve…”

Wing forced a smile as he looked at Jack. “Because… I didn’t really feel like a royal guard until you charmed me into realizing I was one,” he said. The pain he felt in speaking was noticeable, and Jack winced. “Thanks for offering me… that drink… and thanks for saving… so many lives…”

Jack nodded, touching his free front hoof to one of Wing’s, keeping back the tears that wanted to flow. “You looked real sexy throwing that spear.”

Wing blushed and coughed. “Thanks… Captain…” His eyes slowly closed, never to open again.

Luna nearly made it to the room where the guards got trapped before all the daleks shut down. She looked at the horrible site in front of her. Several more of her guards dead, and the rest badly beaten. Lieutenant Silver, the one who had fought so valiantly to not only to hold on to this castle, but to hold on to his mind, was on the floor, motionless.

“It’s over, my royal guard. Canterlot castle holds.” Everypony was relieved, but nopony was in the mood to celebrate, and Luna didn’t blame them.

“What happened to Silver?” Paige walked over to Silver’s body, looking down at him. “He just sort of… fell over.”

“The Doctor must have stopped what was controlling them,” Luna replied. “Perhaps there wasn’t enough of Silver left to keep him alive without it.” She bowed her head, a tear falling from her eye.

A few seconds later, Silver’s body began to move. He groaned, and his eyes squinted open as he struggled to his feet. “Wha… what happened…”

“Silver, you’re alive!” Paige shouted, happiness filling her.

“My head… they’re… they’re gone…” Silver felt no more pain, no more ringing in the back of his head trying to take away his free will. “But that means… princess! Please come with me!”

Silver ran down the way the guard had come, and Luna and Paige followed. Jack gently lowered Wing’s body, looking at him one last time, then followed as well.

When the three arrived at the lower levels, they saw the full damage that the battle had caused. Many pony daleks had to be killed, the eyes protruding out, their bodies limp. But all the ones that had been tripped and tied up were now talking, unable to move, but conscious and mainly confused.

“All the unharmed ones are their normal selves again,” Silver said. “It really was worth saving them if possible.”

“We need to gather all the guard, and discuss all that has happened,” Luna said. “I will summon all of Canterlot’s guard, on duty and off.”

“Luna, wait! Outside the window!”

The three looked over to see a small spaceship coming down. It lowered itself to the height of the windows, hovering menacingly.

“That’s a dalek ship, run!” Jack yelled.

“YOU WILL ALL HAVE TEA!”

“Wait, what?”

Jack did a double take, swearing he just heard the Doctor’s voice come from a dalek ship. Then the ship turned around, revealing the entryway of the scout ship, which was currently open. In the entry way was the Doctor, waving and grinning. He pointed up towards the sky, and when the three looked up, they could see a tiny ball of flame beginning to fade away, way up by the stars.

“What is that?” Luna asked.

“If I were to guess, I’d say that’s where the Doctor got his ride from,” Jack replied.

 

**

 

The night was nearly done; the sun would rise soon upon the gathered royal guard.

“During the night, as all of you can see from the damage, a battle occurred,” Luna said, standing before all of her guard. “Some of the ponies among you were taken over by other creatures, and we were forced into fighting ourselves. Some of those taken over perished, but others are now here among you.”

The guards began to mumble, butt Luna waved it away. “The threat is gone, and I can assure you that while they may have been permanently hurt by the beings we faced, they are themselves. That is why that I am not revealing whoever was controlled and who was not. I ask those that know to not reveal it.”

All the guard nodded in unison, and Luna smiled. “We have much to do, and I thank you for your hard work. Those of you who guarded the night, please go get some rest. The rest of you, I must ask you to stay even if you were not to be on shift. Extended leave shall be given to all after the castle has been mended.”

The entire royal guard saluted in unison, and Luna returned it, dismissing them. In a room behind the throne, the Doctor approached Jack, who was staring out a window.

“I told him that he’d make it,” Jack said. “He was so young… I told him he’d make it through… then he took a shot for a man who can’t die.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Jack,” the Doctor said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Imagine the guards who had to kill their own, when those they managed to trap came back in the end. The guilt does not belong to any of you.” Seeing that his words helped little, the Doctor moved to a different point. “Minuette and I discovered something while we were trapped. When we stop Chaos, none of this will have ever happened. Wing will have never died. None of the ponies who died tonight will have.”

Jack let out a sigh. “Hopefully another pony will find him and give him the confidence boost I did, he’ll make a great member of the royal guard,” Jack said. “Thanks, Doctor. Let’s go stop this destroyer.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Luna entered the room along with Lieutenant Silver. “Doctor, we will never be able to repay you for all you have done.”

“Nothing to worry about, princess,” the Doctor said. “I’m here to help.”

Silver approached the Doctor, admiration on his face. “I wouldn’t be standing here, with the ability to go home and be with my family, if you hadn’t saved me.”

“Go get ‘em, Silver. You earned it.” The Doctor held out a hoof, and Silver shook it.

“Not sure how to explain the metal thing in my head…”

“Don’t. It’ll never act up again, the daleks who did this to you are dead,” the Doctor explained. “Sure, you might have a bit of dalek parts in you, but you’re still Silver. Permanently now.”

Silver nodded. “Thank you, Doctor. I guess it’s just like Celestia’s saying. All that matters is who I want to be.”

“Exactly. I think she told me that once.”

“Farewell, Doctor,” Luna said. “May you travel safely.”

“I’ll try, but I don’t think that will last very long.” They both chuckled, and the Doctor turned to his TARDIS, his three companions following suit.

Silver and Luna stood by as the TARDIS faded into nothing. “Magnificent,” Silver breathed.

“Not as much as your bravery,” Luna said. “Vigilant, the captain of the royal guard, shall be retiring soon. From what I saw tonight, I believe you are a fit replacement.”

Silver looked up in disbelief. “Me?”

“Yes.”

Silver shook his head, in disbelief. “But princess, I-“

“Courage, skill, intelligence, and a willingness to sacrifice one’s self for Canterlot,” Luna interrupted. “Those are the four traits a captain of the royal guard needs, and you possess all of them.”

Silver stood shocked for a moment more, but then bowed graciously. “I would be honored, princess.”

Luna returned the bow. “I am honored to have a pony like you serving this castle. But unfortunately, you must go home to your family while still being a lieutenant. The promotion ceremony needs to wait, you need rest and this castle needs repairs.”

“Of course, princess, I won’t let you down.”

 

**

 

Luna gently swung open the door to the royal bed chambers, using her magic to swing open the curtains and let the moonlight in. “Wakey wakey, dear sister! The time for the sun cometh!”

Celestia sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Good morning, Luna. Was the night peaceful?”

“Sister, remember about six decades ago, when Shining Armor and Cadence wed each other?”

“Of course. Why?”

“What did I ask when I arrived at the wedding party?”

“You asked if you missed anything, and I laughed, later explaining to you that- oh dear.”

“The castle is safe, but last night was worse than Chrysalis. I will discuss with you after the sun is raised.”

 

**

 

 _Location unknown_  
_Time unknown_

 

The daleks had failed, but Chaos did not effectively move the dalek ship into this universe. He chuckled as he sat within the void, resting and plotting. He would not make the same mistake again, with enough power now to effortlessly bring anything from one universe to another. But that was not his next plan.

“You do well against enemies from your world, but now I create one of my own,” Chaos said to himself, chuckling. “A being that will spread my chaos across time and space, that will be feared from one universe to the next. I give you all life, and I give you all power. Now go forth and feed, my dear… sweet…  _children_.”


	14. Children of the Void, Part 1

_The pony universe_  
_Saddle Arabia_  
_900 years before the dalek attack_

 

Sand began to stir as a breeze flew in, stirring the carefully laid grains into the air, whisking them about. The desert stretched on for miles and miles, with no life able to grow in the hot, dry ground.

Evidence of former civilization showed itself, however. Hidden in the desert stood great temples, decorated finely with arches, pillars, and beautifully sculpted statues. One such temple was the temple of Sa Myong, where many years ago, something had fallen from the sky. Ancient pony civilization built a temple to hold it, and a prediction was transcribed onto the walls.  _“Time turns and turns; past and future do not matter. Events once done and what shall be done are all commencing now. Time is out of balance as world hits world. The Gods cannot determine the destiny of all. The key will either lock the door, and all shall become what once was, or the loss of balance will cause the end of all things.”_

After a brave researcher translated the prophecy within, he was never seen from again. His work was found at the entrance to the temple, with furious scribbles about hiding from some sort of creatures, and a warning to not enter. He called these creatures the children of the void. His papers were put in a safe place, later to be found by Starswirl the Bearded. Anypony that tried to expand on the researcher’s findings never came out of the temple.

Starswirl visited the Sa Myong temple once, and stood on the outskirts in order to sense how much magic power was within. When he finished sensing the temple, his fear overruled his curiosity, and he never explored, feeling more magical potential than he felt from the royal sisters combined.

But now, after researchers had given up on returning to the temple, heeding the warnings of the one researcher to write down findings before disappearing, a sound known across time began to echo across the ever shifting desert. A tall, blue box faded into view in front of the temple, and the doors of the TARDIS swung open. “Alright, temple,” the Doctor said as he stepped out onto the sand. “Let’s see what’s got everyone so scared…”

 

**

 

Paige raised a hoof in front of her eyes as she stepped off the TARDIS to guard herself from the sand blowing in the mild wind. “This is the temple the book spoke about?” She asked.

Minuette checked a page in the book she had found during their last encounter. “Yes, the Sa Myong temple. This is it.” She closed the book, set it on the floor of the TARDIS, and stepped out into the sunlight.

“I got the time right, we’re here about a year after researchers gave up. Just think, somewhere far away from here, Starswirl the Bearded is alive right now,” the Doctor said.

“I bet he’d love to see that some still read his book,” Minuette replied with a chuckle.

Jack stepped out of the TARDIS last, and closed the doors behind him. “I like all the architecture. Fancy stuff for an ancient civilization.”

“I never understood how they did all this, these statues are gorgeous,” Paige said. On either side of the temple entrance, half a dozen pony statues stood at even intervals along the path to the doors.

“It’s the same way on my version of earth. Ancient people managed to do some pretty impressive things,” Jack said, admiring the statues as well.

“I’m sure the interior is even more beautiful,” the Doctor said. “Just be alert. One of the most powerful unicorns in the history of this world didn’t want to go in here. I on the other hand, say why not.”

The Doctor walked forward and the other three followed, moving into the darkness.

The first chamber was a large, square room, illuminated by the sunlight shining in from the arched entrance. Several pillars stretched from the floor to the high ceiling, and writing covered the walls.

“Doctor, I thought the TARDIS translated everything?” Paige said, looking at the markings.

“It takes longer with written word, especially old characters like these,” the Doctor replied. “But once we’ve been in here a little while it should start translating to where we can read what’s in here.”

The travelers looked around, seeing several possible paths from this room to move on. “I can tell you one thing,” Minuette said. “There’s a drawing here in Starswirl’s book. According to the researcher’s papers, that doorway is the one we want.”

The Doctor walked over to Minuette, examining the page. “These drawings will be very helpful. Any drawings of the children of the void, perhaps?”

“No, there’s none in here.”

“Alright then. That remains a mystery. Everything seems calm so far, however.”

Following what the book showed, the four travelers moved from the large room to a smaller hallway. The hallway was dark, but Minuette levitated the book while casting a light spell, her horn acting as a flashlight.

“So I have a question,” Jack said as they began to walk down the temple hallway. “How do we trust the findings of this wizard about the key to the void and all that when he never even set foot in this temple?”

“This isn’t the only temple with allusions to some sort of key,” Minuette replied, having read the book several times over during their rest period after the dalek fight. “There are many temples that were all part of this ancient civilization. All of them were brimming with life before the royal sisters were even known by recorded history to exist. All the temples have references about some great prophecy, and a great key. And all the signs point to this temple as the heart of those writings.”

“When something falls from space onto a barely developed society, there’s going to be quite a lot of talk about it. To them it was sent by some sort of god,” the Doctor said.

“Good enough answer for me,” Jack replied. “But still, what in the world do you think guards this?”

“Something of Chaos’s creation, which means something not good,” the Doctor replied. “That’s why we need to keep our eyes peeled, watch out for any sort of traps-“

As the Doctor spoke, the group suddenly felt themselves fall through the floor. Their screams echoed through the temple, and they hit the ground below with a thud.

Minuette scrambled to her hooves, shrouded in darkness after losing concentration on her magic. She lit up her horn again, looking up to see the floor close up above them. They landed in another hallway, one even darker than the last. “Is everyone alright?”

“I’ve had better days…” Jack groaned, trying to stretch his back as he brushed dirt off of him.

“I don’t understand,” Paige said, coughing for a moment. “Nopony stepped on anything strange. There was no trip wire. What caused the floor to open?”

“We’re being toyed with.”

The other three turned to the Doctor, who slowly rose to his hooves. “Do you feel watched? If not, you should. No one activated anything because it wasn’t us. Whatever’s in here knows we’re here. And they’re eying us carefully.”

Paige looked around, searching for any sign of something watching them. “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either, but we need to keep going,” the Doctor replied. “Where did we land?”

“I think we’re just lower down in the temple, which is where we wanted to go anyways,” Minuette said.

“Look, the text is starting to translate,” Jack said, noticing more text on the walls. Slowly, the appearance of the walls around them changed. The ancient text changed to the eyes of all the travelers, making it readable.

“It looks like it’s talking about the key,” Minuette said. “I bet if we follow the direction of the text, it will take us where we need to go.”

“Good thinking,” Jack said. “Even if not, we’ll have a good read.”

The group followed the text on the wall, walking through the pitch black halls of the temple, the only illumination coming from Minuette’s horn. With every step they took, the path behind them fell back in to darkness, and filled up with watching eyes.

No sound could be heard but the hoofsteps of the four traveler’s and Paige’s voice, reading the text as they continued on. Spiders scurried away from their steps, hiding away in their homes.

All the preceding text was unknown, but Paige read from where they had landed.  _“’…and this temple was created, to protect the sacred key until the chosen one arrives. But our claim to protection shall end soon, for the children of the void are coming to steal this temple from us.’”_

The Doctor spun around, causing the other three to stop in shock.

“What is it?” Minuette asked.

“I feel as if…” the Doctor’s breath was quick, and he had to slowly let himself calm down again. “I just don’t like this. Every time we’ve tried to stop on of Chaos’s plans, it has instantly involved danger. Time out of sort, insane ponies, daleks. This is too easy. And even though it was a bit painful, the drop down here benefited us, got us closer to our goal.”

“Should we turn back?”

“I don’t like the sound of that either,” the Doctor said, trying to make his eyes break through the darkness of the path they’d left behind.

“Then let’s keep going,” Minuette said. “We’ll find this key, and get out. If complications come up, we can handle them.”

“I just… I don’t know… I feel like I should have seen something…”

“Whatever’s in here hasn’t tried anything but that fall yet,” Jack said. “They haven’t tried to do much to us, which means they’ve got a weakness we can exploit. If a floor trap that helps us is their idea of toying with us, I’m not that scared.”

The Doctor sighed. “You’re all right. Let’s get this key and run. For once my curiosity doesn’t have me wanting to explore this temple more than we need to.”

Paige, Minuette and Jack began walking again, and Paige resumed reading. When the Doctor turned and followed, those that watched continued as well.

_“’The children of the void are servants to the darkness. We do not understand the magic that they possess, but our gods cannot protect us from it. The prophecy shows the fall of our people, and we must be accepting.’”_

“Wow, they just took what the prophecy said and rolled with it?” Jack said. “That’s some dedication.”

_“’We fear that the children of the void will aid in bringing about the end of all things, but the winds of fate cannot tell us. And even if the chosen one claims the key, the end may still be upon creation.’”_

“I think I see something up ahead. This hallway is about to bring us somewhere.”

The hall slowly began to narrow as everyone neared the end. As they continued they had to shift in to single file, squeezing through.

_“’Those of us that are left leave our markings behind, to tell our tale before it is too late. The children of the void get closer and closer, and we fear that some of them may already be hidden among us.’”_

“Woah.”

Jack was leading the way, and was the first to step out of the narrow hall into somewhere much bigger. No one could see walls next to them any longer. They had entered a room of unknown size.

“Where are we?” Paige asked.

“Hold on…” Minuette concentrated, her horn glowing brighter. With one last push, the light that had been attached to her horn broke off, and flew upwards. Finding the center of the room, the magical light halted, and increased in intensity.

While still dimly lit, the entirety of the room came in to view. The room was square, with dozens of long diminished torches lining the walls. There were three other entrances to the room, one on each wall, and all had a carved path leading to the center of the room. There, a small, bronze sphere floated on a white pedestal.

“There’s more writing, but the translation hasn’t caught up to where we are,” Paige said.

“Give it a bit…” the Doctor replied, slowly approaching the pedestal. Minuette followed, finding herself staring at the sphere. “Why do I feel… it’s like…”

“There’s nothing there,” Jack finished. “I have the same feeling.”

“This…” the Doctor reached the pedestal, leaning in to look more closely at the sphere. “This is time lord technology.”

“But why do I feel so… weird…”

“Don’t look at it too long,” the Doctor said, turning his own eyes away. “It’s an early stage void drive. The void technology is what’s making you feel weird.”

“A what?” Paige caught something out of the corner of her eye, and noticed the small amount of text on the walls of this room were beginning to translate. There was even some text on the floor she hadn’t noticed. “There we go, I can read more, this room is slowly coming to,” Paige announced.

The Doctor continued his explanation. “Before all the time lords were gone, travel between universes was easy, there was no danger to it. That technology was lost with Gallifrey, however. Before we were capable of doing that, we had the technology to travel into the void and exit somewhere else, but at the cost of tearing the fabric of the universes, which we discovered couldn’t be done without major consequences. This is a void drive from before travel between the universes was flawless; traveling isn’t seamless but it grants you the ability to keep your ship in the void for extended periods of time. However, since Chaos currently has the fabric of the universes tearing apart anyways, I could install this in the TARDIS. We could travel into the void, back to my universe, anywhere.”

“I recognize the technology too, and it explains the prophecy a bit,” Minuette said. “Clearly the creator was gone before any true pony civilization began, because she is not mentioned in any written text. So she didn’t tell them of this prophecy. During my time here, I’ve studied a lot about magic, even though I’ve never been able to become extremely skilled at it myself. There were once unicorns who claimed they could receive visions from the gods using their magical power. I think these visions were actually glimpses of other universes. With tears in reality, a window opened for extremely capable unicorns, and with their magic that is long gone like Starswirl explained, were able to actually receive these visions.”

“So they weren’t just making stuff up for money,” Jack said.

“Not at all,” Minuette continued. “This piece of technology came from Gallifrey, which can explain why the Doctor seems to be the chosen one of this prophecy. The unicorns glimpsed into our universe, and saw him. I’m still not sure on this whole winds of fate thing, but I would guess that the defeat of or loss to Chaos hadn’t happened yet in the Doctor’s time stream when they got their visions.”

“The winds of fate were mentioned when the creator spoke as well,” the Doctor said. “I think it’s just a different way of talking about the inability to determine the outcome of any event. Time is always fluctuating, always changing, you can’t take a picture of the entire universe and then write out the rest of time from that picture. Whether or not there are literal ‘winds of fate’, I don’t know. But what I also don’t know is the purpose of this. This can get us into the void, but how do we seal all the tears in reality?”

“Hold on, listen to this Doctor,” Paige said, reading some of the text in the room.  _“’We did what we could, but our era of protecting the key is almost over. If the chosen one arrives, take the key. Defeating he who began the end of all things will heal all the wounds he created.’”_

“So this is the mechanism… but I’m somehow going to defeat Chaos… how do I…” the Doctor sat down in thought.

“Wait, they made us fall?”

“What was that, Paige?”

_“’We only hope that our efforts to protect the chosen one help. The children of the void are here, and watching. If this key is searched for, there are traps in place to change direction of travelers, in hopes of allowing enough time to retrieve the key before they follow you.’”_

The Doctor stood up again, looking across the room to where Paige was reading. “So that wasn’t a fall to hurt us; that was magic set up to try and get us here more quickly. But why?”

_“For if they find you, you will not be able to run. The children of the void can be held back, but eventually, as we must do when our writing is done, you will have to turn your back.”_

“Oh no. Oh no, no, I’m so stupid.” The Doctor’s eyes widened in fear, and he began frantically looking around the room.

“What is it?” Jack asked.

Minuette began to understand, and her eyes widened. “No… it can’t be…”

“I should have known when we walked in here, should have known when there were no drawings of them, this is a trap the ponies couldn’t help us avoid,” the Doctor said. “I put us all in grave danger…”

“We knew the children of the void would be here, what’s changed?” Paige asked. Out of nervousness she joined the other three at the pedestal, staying close.

“Chaos may have created the children of the void, but they’re beings I’ve seen before,” the Doctor said. “A nightmare that has followed me across the universe my entire life… and I guess I never knew where they came from.”

“So Chaos…” Minuette was scared to even say it. “The void is the origin of…”

“Those weren’t statues at the entrance,” the Doctor said. “Chaos created the weeping angels.”

The light Minuettte had cast flickered, and suddenly the entire outer perimeter of the room was filled with what looked like statues of pegasi, standing on their hind legs, their front hooves covering their face and their wings stretched out.

“Doctor, what do we do?!” Paige shouted. The Doctor had told him so much about his universe she couldn’t remember it all. She had heard of weeping angels, but didn’t know how to fight them. She looked around, terrified by the sheer number that had appeared.

“Everyone, stand on different sides of the pedestal!” the Doctor shouted. “Don’t blink, keep looking at them!”

“Doctor, they’re interfering… with my magic…” Minuette’s head drooped, and the light ball in the center of the room flickered again. The angels stood closer, and their hooves no longer covered their face. They were stretched out, reaching for the travelers, their fangs baring.

“Stay focused, Minuette! We have to be able to see them!”

“There’re too many,” Jack said, backing up against his side of the pedestal. “We’re surrounded, no way out.”

Minuette fought to continue channeling magic to the light, but the angels had some magic of their own, and were fighting just as hard. The light fluctuated again, and the angels closed in, only several feet away.

“Doctor, they’re almost on me!” Paige cried, tears falling from her face as fear filled every portion of her body.

“I’m sorry Paige, but you can’t fly away,” the Doctor said. “If you fly, you have to look away, and then they’ll have you anyways. Just keep looking, don’t blink!”

“Doctor!” Minuette yelled, her voice filled with pain. “I can’t hold… the light…”

“You have to! Fight their magic with your own, you can do this!”

“They’re… too… strong…” Minuette screamed as her channeling to the light stopped for a full moment. It was long enough that before she could start channeling energy again, the light went out.

The angels fell upon them.

 

**

 

_30 years in the past_

 

The Doctor sat in silence, a bouquet of roses laying on the grass in front of him. His head was bowed, eyes closed as he fought back tears. Jack had walked away, and Minuette slowly approached the Doctor, laying a hoof on his shoulder.

“It’s my fault…” the Doctor whispered, wiping his eye with a hoof.

“You say that a lot, but it’s not your fault, Doctor,” Minuette said. “It’s going to be ok. We can still defeat Chaos.”

“This wasn’t deserved… torture me, do what you want with me, I’ve done plenty. But this…”

“We have to move on, Doctor,” Minuette said. “It’s what she’d want. We’ve lived through seven decades since the angels got us. We only have three more decades before we catch up to the time we were at. We won’t fail a second time.”

Minuette left the Doctor alone, turning away. After a few seconds more, the Doctor stood, wiping his eyes again and keeping his head bowed. With one last look, he turned away from the grave he rested in front of, the writing engraved on it too painful to look at again.

 

 _Paige Turner_  
_Age 93_  
_Lost but not forgotten_


	15. Children of the Void, Part 2

_Saddle Arabia_  
_10 years before the arrival at the temple_

 

_“Doctor, where are we?”_

_“Somewhere near where we were before, but back in time,” the Doctor replied, frantically looking around. “I don’t know how far back.”_

_“But how do we get back, if the TARDIS is in the future?” Paige’s eyes were full of fear._

_“Paige, I‘m sorry. I am so, so sorry. We don’t.”_

The Doctor gasped as he sat up in bed, his eyes bulging open. Barely a night went by that he didn’t relive the horror of the first day being stranded by the weeping angels, 90 years ago. By the sound of crickets outside, it was clearly the middle of the night.

The Doctor sighed, and got out of bed, heading for the balcony that connected to the bedroom. They had all moved to a more green part of Saddle Arabia, to stay close to the temple while living comfortably, and had built a small two floor house with the help of any earth ponies and unicorns they could find and somehow pay. There wasn’t even much point to there being two floors; the first floor consisted of a square room and ancient style kitchen, and the upper floor had the bedroom that everyone shared. An hour’s walk away from any other settlements stood this one, solitary house.

When the Doctor arrived on the balcony, he discovered Jack, already awake and staring off into the stillness of the night. “And why are you awake?” the Doctor asked, raising himself so his front hooves rested on the railing.

“What am I gonna do, die of exhaustion?” Jack replied, to which both of them chuckled slightly. “I just don’t sleep much anymore. And it doesn’t seem that you do either. Nightmare again?”

“Yep.”

“I wish I could help.” Jack stared up at the sky, counting stars, wondering what other life was out there in this universe. “I get a grey hair about every 70 years. Give it a few centuries and I might start to look a little old.”

“Had they sent us back two hundred years, Minuette and I would look old by the time we got back to the temple,” the Doctor replied.

“True.” Jack paused for a long while before speaking again. “I’m just… tired, Doctor. Tired of living so long. I’m not even a thousand years old yet and yet I don’t even remember exactly how old I am. I’ve watched so many people grow old and die while I just keep going, every day. You, you’re a few centuries over a thousand, I don’t even know how you do it.”

“Time travel, makes things easier,” the Doctor replied. “Since I travel through time I can visit people at any time, any age, and avoid the times I don’t want to think about. My little way of cheating. Paige was the first one I’ve ever actually had to… to watch.” He paused, sniffing and wiping his eye. “70 years. For 70 years I watched her live, grow old, and die. It tears me apart.”

“A lot of people want long life, but be careful what you wish for, huh?” Jack shook his head, closing his eyes. “She was strong. All the way to the end.”

“She helped a lot of ponies, learned the local language, helped us get money, food, everything we needed. She used her passion for books to become a teacher, and all the little ponies loved her. She was brilliant.”

“I can’t believe she’s gone. 20 years ago. Feels like yesterday.” Jack sniffed, returning his gaze to the night sky.

The two were joined by Minuette, who rubbed her eyes before only half opening them, her sleepiness apparent. “Doing anything fun out here?” she said softly, blinking a few times before opening her eyes all the way.

“You know, just burning the midnight oil, thinking about life,” Jack replied, smiling.

“There’s plenty of time to do that during the day,” she replied, chuckling. She approached the Doctor, and gave him a caring nuzzle, which he returned. Both the Doctor and Minuette had their individual reasons for not wanting to create an intimate relationship, but their bond had grown massively. Nine decades of waiting to be back where they needed to be, and ten more years left. The only two time lords in existence, stranded together, with nowhere to go. They couldn’t help but care for each other deeply, even if love wasn’t possible.

“The nightmare again?” Minuette asked, whispering into the Doctor’s ear.

“Yeah,” he replied softly, to which Minuette responded by placing a hoof around the Doctor’s neck, hugging him tightly. The Doctor returned the hug, closing his eyes and holding Minuette close.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Minuette whispered. “It really wasn’t your fault. We’ll make it through this. Ten more years.”

The Doctor nodded, and slowly released Minuette from the hug. She did the same, joining Jack in staring off into the night. “We’re almost there,” she said.

“Yes we are,” Jack replied. “It’ll be nice to sleep in the TARDIS again. The beds in there are much comfier.”

“We’ve made due so far, not much longer before we finish this,” the Doctor said. He let out a sigh, his heart still torn apart from what happened, his brain struggling to come up with a solution.

“Will she come back, in the end? When everything Chaos has done has been reversed?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor replied honestly. “Being exposed to time travel makes things… trickier. When you’ve traveled through time, it’s harder for the universe to resolve paradoxes based on your time stream. Things can get… complicated. It’s just like with memories, sometimes people who’ve experienced time travel can remember events that haven’t happened, and sometimes they can’t.”

“Paradoxes,” Jack shook his head. “I wish they weren’t such a poisonous thing to mess with.”

“Same here, I…” the Doctor stopped, confused as to why that comment seemed so significant to him.  _Poisonous…_

“What is it Doctor?” Minuette asked.

The gears turned in the Doctor’s head, and a thought struck him. “Paige didn’t deserve to live out her entire life here, stuck in a purgatory,” he said. “And maybe she doesn’t have to.”

“What?” Jack didn’t understand.

“I don’t want to say any more. We have ten years left, I can’t keep my mind on it now,” the Doctor replied. “Forget what I said.” He turned away from the balcony, walking back into the bedroom, headed straight for his bed.

“I’m worried about him,” Minuette said, moving closer to Jack. “I’ve tried so hard to make him understand what happened could not be blamed on any of us, but he refuses to forgive himself.”

“That look he got just now…” Jack said. “I feel like he just thought of something that even he’s scared to try. And honestly, if he’s talking about crossing his own time stream to save Paige… as much as it pains me to say so, I don’t think he should.”

“Well, it’s like the Doctor said, there’s ten years left before we’re back,” Minuette said. “Let’s not let ourselves worry about it at the moment. But for now… I agree with you.”

Jack nodded, and Minuette turned away, deciding that she too wanted to attempt returning to sleep.

 

**

 

_10 years later_

 

_“Aww, thank you so much, little ones,” Paige said, speaking flawlessly in the language of the area. “I really love it.” Paige’s students had made her a gift, and she graciously accepted it, smiling at all the little colts and fillies she had taught that year._

_The Doctor watched from a short distance away. He had learned the language as well, but to his surprise, at a slower rate than Paige had. She truly was brilliant, and it pained him every day to remember that she was here because of him._

_“Look, Doctor,” Paige said as the little ones went back to their parents. “They weaved me a basket. It’s actually rather impressive, they all worked together to make it an expert job.”_

_Paige smiled at the Doctor, happy as could be. The Doctor looked at her, knowing the happiness was sincere, but unable to return it. “Doctor, are you alright?” Paige asked, noticing something was off. “Doctor?”_

“Doctor?”

The Doctor opened his eyes, discovering Minuette standing at the side of his bed. He sat up, and saw the sun beginning to rise in the horizon.

“Is everything ok?” Minuette asked. “You were groaning in your sleep. You’ve been better with the dreams for quite some time.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” the Doctor replied, slowly getting out of bed. “Today’s the day, isn’t it?”

“We’ve caught up. If what we remember from that day is correct, which I don’t know how we could forget, we have 11 hours until the TARDIS lands. More than enough time to return to the temple.”

“Let’s get some water and be off then,” the Doctor said. It had taken him ten years of debating with himself to determine if he was right, but he couldn’t stand the torment anymore. Remembering Paige’s smile, a smile of joy, and of forgiveness. He couldn’t accept that he had been forgiven, he couldn’t bear her life on his shoulders.

He was going to bring her back.

 

**

 

“Doctor, what do you mean we’re getting Paige back?” Jack asked, shocked to hear the Doctor say such a thing.

The Doctor walked quickly, leading the group back to the temple. “The weeping angels, they feed off of time energy,” the Doctor began. “Once, in New York, it became a certainty that Rory Williams would be sent back in time and forced to live out the rest of his life alone. To prevent it, Rory and his wife attempted suicide, creating a paradox that ‘poisoned the well’ if you will, and destroyed almost all the angels, preventing the event from happening.”

“At that time, were you sure this was going to work?”

“No,” the Doctor said. “In fact, I didn’t want them to do it.”

“When paradoxes solve the problem, you call that luck, not precedence,” Jack said. “I want Paige back too, but you’re putting a lot on the line.”

“I unfortunately have to agree,” Minuette said, catching up to trot along next to the Doctor through the desert sand. “Time has already been damaged by what Chaos has done, and you want to try to throw this into it. You could tear apart this entire universe and Chaos wouldn’t even have to do anything.”

“Hold on, I have this theory about the angels,” the Doctor interrupted. “And I’ve been working on it for ten years, ever since Jack put the thought of New York into my head. Jack, you’re right, paradoxes solving the problem are luck. It rarely works and typically creates more problems. I couldn’t believe it when Amy’s future self-managed to save her past self and rewrite her entire life. There have been many more times when a paradox would have been the solution, and it didn’t work, compared to the amount of times it has. But I think the angels are different.

“You see, the New York incident stopped the angels, but I never understood fully how it destroyed them. Sure, the time energy they fed on for decades had been poisoned, but to destroy all but one or two of these powerful creatures is something you can’t just brush off. The only way I’ve ever destroyed angels was through no means of my own, I forced them to fall into a crack where they were erased from existence.”

“So what are you saying? What’s different about the angels?” Minuette asked.

“They feed off of time, yes, but a specific type of time. Paradoxes,” the Doctor continued. “We now know that the weeping angels were created by Chaos, which means their power may extend beyond what I’ve thought before. I believe that the angels have the ability to absorb the damage caused by paradoxes, and are themselves causing paradoxes rather than natural changes to the flow of time when they send beings back.”

“But then what destroyed them?” Jack asked.

“The angels are like living paradox machines, if I understand it now. When you counter a paradox they create with another paradox, you’re not only taking away the energy they feed off of, you’re literally ripping time apart from inside them until they implode.”

“Alright, we’ve gotten to the point where anyone but a time lord is unable to follow what the heck you’re talking about,” Jack said. “I’ll believe you that all this craziness you’re saying is true, but Doctor, are you sure it will work?”

“No,” the Doctor said. “But I have to try.”

“Doctor, stop.” Minuette halted the group with the harshness in her voice, and the Doctor turned. She walked up to him, noticing now that he was trembling. “This has been tearing you up, when it shouldn’t,” she continued, placing a hoof on his shoulder. The Doctor shivered at first, but his trembling slowed. “The way Paige smiled at you… over all those years… that wasn’t a smile of hatred, it was a smile of forgiveness,” she told him. “She never blamed you, right from the start. Even her initial sadness wasn’t directed at you. She understood the risks of her journey with you and accepted them. What you’re planning is risky. Maybe it’s best, as much as it pains me to say, to leave things as they are.”

The Doctor calmed himself fully, closing his eyes for a moment. “Doctor, you need to understand something,” Minuette continued. “I can’t imagine the pain you’ve accumulated in your life, so many people dying around you, but you have to understand something. You have to understand this or you will destroy yourself, and it will get worse than ever. You are good. You are good, Doctor. Regardless of what happens, your heart is good.”

A long pause followed Minuette’s words. The Doctor looked at Jack, who nodded, silently agreeing with Minuette’s words. A calm wind stirred the sand beneath their hooves, and a single tear rolled down the Doctor’s cheek, and she wiped at it with her hoof. “Minuette, thank you,” the Doctor said. “I feel like those are the most important words that have been said to me. I’ve been focusing so much on what I’ve done wrong, and I’ve been tortured with this for a century.”

Minuette nodded, and the two shared a hug. The Doctor pulled away first, taking a few deep breaths, his mind calming.

Their heads turned as off in the distance, at the bottom of the hill they stood atop, noises of the TARDIS landing reached their ears. The temple stood tall, shining in the evening sunlight, and ponies began to exit the little blue box. The Doctor’s heart tightened when he was able to make out the shape of Paige, 70 years younger than the last time he saw her.

“But look at them, Minuette,” the Doctor said softly. “Unaffected by the torment of a century of waiting to catch up with time. I have to take the chance. I have to do it for Paige. Too many times have I been the cause of a companion’s fall. I don’t care what happens to me, I’ve lived long enough to endure pain. But she has a short life, and she deserves another chance. I brought this on her, and I can either stand here and wait for her fate to be sealed again, or I can risk saving her. It’s who I am.”

Minuette didn’t respond at first, but then let out a sigh. “I understand,” she said. “And what we’re about to do is risky, but when is something worth fighting for not?”

“You’ve got me convinced,” Jack said happily, though through gritted teeth. “Let’s go save ourselves. I’ve never met me before. I bet I’m handsome.”

The Doctor laughed, and turned to Minuette. “Of course, I hope I remember some of our time here,” he said. “You have no idea how much it helps to hear a time lord say the things you just said.”

“You needed to hear that, and that’s why I said it,” Minuette replied. “I hope you remember it, too. Now, let’s make a plan.”

 

**

 

The Doctor stood at the entrance to the temple, his mind flashing back to the last time he had stepped in here. The statues that had decorated the outside path were gone, already in pursuit of their past selves.

“We have to assume there are angels all over this temple,” the Doctor said. “There were a lot surrounding us and that may well have not been all of them.”

“What do you think would be the best route?” Minuette asked.

“The ponies that made this temple made basically every pathway lead to our destination. So I say we take any route but our original one. We’ll alert the angels that were following us early on.”

“Agreed.”

The three stepped into the temple, keeping their eyes open and moving quickly. This time they turned down a different hallway, and Minuette activated her magical light.

As before, after traveling a short distance in a trap opened beneath them. This time, however, they were all expecting a pit trap at any given moment, and all managed to land on their feet. Minuette kept her light on, and was grateful she did.

“Everyone, hold still for a moment. And don’t blink.”

Unlike 100 years ago when they fell into another narrow hallway, this time the three travelers had landed in a more open room, with a doorway on either side of them. Lined up on the walls that didn’t have doorways were angels, some looking surprised, others with their fangs already bared.

“Minuette, don’t deactivate your light. Keep looking at the angels on your side, I have this side. Jack, which way does the text go, where do we want to move towards?”

Jack trusted the other two and moved about freely, looking at the walls. “We want to go to your left, Doctor,” Jack said.

“Alright, Jack, direct Minuette and I. Minuette, keep your eyes on them.”

Minuette trembled as Jack carefully voiced instructions for the other two, keeping eye contact with all the angels in the room. They continued to stare at the walls while Jack acted as an extra pair of eyes, just in case. When the three reached the edge of the room, they halted.

“Alright, everyone ready? We have to lose sight of them to go into the hallway. Just back up quickly so that they can’t reach us when they get the chance to move.”

The three prepped themselves, then backed in to the hallway, as quickly as possible. Once all the angels were out of their field of vision, in a flash they appeared at the doorway, blocking the path out in an attempt to get them. Minuette screamed, turning to find more angels behind them.

“Doctor, there’s more of them in this hall!” she shouted.

“Don’t lose sight of them! Everyone, make a triangle. We can get through this. We have to get to our past selves before they’re sent back, we won’t get a second chance.”

The three put their backs to each other, slowly moving forward and rotating their triangle now and again. Everyone fought to keep their eyes open; with angels on every side, there was no chance to blink.

“How close are we?” Jack asked as they continued.

“We should be getting there, we’re following the text and have gone nearly as far as we did in the other hall,” the Doctor replied.

Minuette kept her light strong, and every time angels in the distance fell into darkness, they would reappear, just several steps away. As they moved past angels, they would simply join the hoard trailing after them. Eventually, they began to hear faint voices, which made them hush their own, not wanting to alert their past selves yet.

“Paige is reading the wall,” Minuette said. “I can hear it. We have to get there quickly.”

“But how do we deal with these angels?” the Doctor asked. “There’s no point in saving them from the angels in the room if before the poisoning of the time stream they created can sink in, these angels following us get to them.”

“Doctor, give me your sonic screwdriver,” Jack said. “I have an idea.”

“What?” the Doctor replied.

“If I can create just the right frequency, I can make this tunnel cave in, block these angels from getting in the room.”

“But you’d have to be underneath what you’re making cave in, you’d-“

“Hey, this whole timeline is about to not exist, right?” Come on, toss it over.”

The Doctor hesitated, but nodded. Without looking down, he used his bare front hoof to slide off his sonic screwdriver, and he kicked it across the floor so Jack could put it on.

“Now, both of you get running. And Doctor, I’d rather not spend my endless returns from death trapped under rocks. Please make sure this works.”

With no more angels between them and the hallway, only the ones behind, the Doctor and Minuette gave Jack one last look, then turned, running. Jack activated the sonic screwdriver, which began to issue a high pitched squeal, and the hallway began to crumble.

 

**

 

“Chaos created the weeping angels.”

The light Minuette had cast flickered, and suddenly the entire outer perimeter of the room was filled with what looked like statues of pegasi, standing on their hind legs, their front hooves covering their face and their wings stretched out.

“Doctor, what do we do?!” Paige shouted. The Doctor had told her so much about his universe she couldn’t remember it all. She had heard of the weeping angels, but didn’t know how to fight them. She looked around, terrified by the sheer number that had appeared.

“Everyone, stand on different sides of the pedestal!” the Doctor shouted. “Don’t blink, keep looking at them!”

“Doctor, they’re interfering… with my magic…” Minuette’s head drooped, and the light ball in the center of the room flickered again. The angels were now closer, and their hooves no longer covered their face. They were stretched out, reaching for the travelers, their fangs baring.

“There’s too many,” Jack said, backing up against his side of the pedestal. “We’re surrounded, no way out.” He jumped as he felt the ground shake underneath him for a moment. “And now it seems they’re making this temple fall apart just in case we could get away.”

Minuette fought to continue channeling magic to the light, but the angels had some magic of their own, and were fighting just as hard. With more sounds of crumbling and shaking, she lost focus. The light fluctuated again, and the angels closed in, only several feet away.

“Doctor, they’re almost on me!” Paige cried, tears falling from her face as fear filled every portion of her body.

“I’m sorry Paige, but you can’t fly away,” the Doctor said. “If you fly, you have to look away, and then they’ll have you anyways. “Just keep looking, don’t blink!”

“Doctor!” Minuette yelled, her voice filled with pain. “I can’t hold… the light…”

“You have to! Fight their magic with your own, you can do this!”

“They’re… too… strong…” Minuette screamed as the largest tremor yet came. She could now actually hear stone crumbling, and she stumbled. She somehow managed to keep her eyes open as she fell against the pedestal, but her magic was no longer active. She knew that the light would soon shut off, but to her surprise, the room actually got brighter.

The Doctor and Minuette, that is, the ones outside the circle of angels, skidded to a halt, having just barely avoided being caught in the tunnel with Jack. Minuette had spent a hundred years improving her magic, and the angels would not be able to diminish her light this time. “Someone grab the void drive!” she shouted.

“Who’s that?” the Doctor inside the circle of angels shouted. The voice was familiar, but not quite. “Minuette, did you just shout that?”

“No, what’s going on? Who’s out there? Can you help us?” Minuette replied.

“I can if someone grabs the void drive,” the other Minuette said. “Minuette, your magic is good enough at this point to where you can levitate small things. Use your magic and lift it up.”

Minuette didn’t bother to ask how the mare shouting knew her name, or how she had gotten there. She concentrated again, her horn beginning to glow, and the void drive lifted off the pedestal. After a few seconds, the pedestal shook, and sunk into the ground. “I’ve got it!”

The other Minuette concentrated again, and used a spell typically only for higher level unicorns, but she had a century to practice. She teleported from where she had been to inside the circle of angels. Now that she could see all the ponies inside, she could properly perform a group teleport spell. She only had the power to do a short range teleport, but with heavy concentration, all five in the circle of angels teleported to a corner of the room. With the pedestal down in the ground, there was nothing for the angels to look at but each other. They were stuck eternally, with no way to move.

“They can’t move.” The Doctor slowly rose after shaking his head, shocked by the teleport. “We’re safe. But who-“

The Doctor gasped when he turned. Standing in front of him was Minuette, but not the one he knew. Her eyes were older, and her body showed slight signs of aging. “How…”

The Doctor’s eyes caught something else, and suddenly he was looking at himself. An older Doctor, with a look of pain on his face. Gears began to turn in the Doctor’s head, and he realized that what had just happened didn’t originally happen.

“You all need to get out of here. Based on the fact that nothing has happened yet, my theory was correct,” the other Doctor said, staring at his past self. “Events created by weeping angels can be altered without creating a paradox. It’s the angels themselves that are creating paradoxes. But there’s about to be a serious energy release from the timeline of the angels being altered. Go. Now.”

By now, the rest were looking at the future Doctor and Minuette, in disbelief of what they were seeing.

“Thank you,” the Doctor said. He didn’t know why Jack wasn’t there, but he realized what would have happened to Paige had they been sent back in time far enough. “That was pretty risky wasn’t it? Could have torn apart time and space.”

“I know. But it was worth it.” Both Doctors smiled, and the future Doctor glanced at Paige, a tear coming to his eye from seeing her so young again. “It’s good to see you, Paige,” he said softly, grinning.

“Well, this has been great, but neither of you are going to exist in a bit, and this temple is also about to receive an energy surge. Should we get out of here?” Jack said.

“Yes,” both Doctors said, which caused them to laugh.

Minuette looked at her future self, who looked back. “Impressive magic,” she said, the others beginning to run off.

“You can get there with practice,” the other Minuette replied. She lowered her voice to where only Minuette could hear. “There’s something you need to know. Someday, there may come a time when the Doctor needs to hear these words. He won’t remember that I’ve told him. Say this only when it needs to be said.”

Minuette whispered in to her past self’s ear, then both nodded. Paige called out for Minuette, and she turned, running to catch up.

Now all that were left in the room were the angels, the future Minuette, and the future Doctor. Both sat, and the Doctor sighed. “Thank you for helping and agreeing to my plan. There are still risks to come in the path to defeat Chaos, but maybe Paige will have a chance to live the life of her choice, not the one she gets stuck with.”

“I’ll miss not remembering the past century,” Minuette replied. “Nice to get my life back, but at the same time… after the time war, everything on Gallifrey… It was nice to relax, the only two time lords left in the universe, living out our lives in a little house in the desert.”

“Indeed,” the Doctor said. “Well, the time is about to arrive. Our timeline no longer exists, so I bid you farewell, Minuette. We’ll see each other back on the TARDIS, but for now, we just wait for-“

Before the Doctor could finish his sentence, the two disappeared. The angels began to tremble, and time energy spilled out. Within moments, the room collapsed, along with many more halls and chambers.

 

**

 

The four travelers panted as they reached the outside once more. The statues they had seen on the way in were now gone, inside somewhere. They had found a path up after tracing their steps all the way back to where they had fallen through the floor. Eventually hallways led them out, and now they were safe. They walked to the TARDIS, getting inside and taking a moment to breath.

“I wonder how far back we were sent in to the past when it happened before,” Jack said, curious.

“We’ll never know, but let’s not dwell on it,” the Doctor replied. “Is everyone alright? Paige, are you ok?”

Paige smiled when the Doctor turned to her. “I’m a bit shaken up, but I’ll be fine,” she told him. “That was, however, the scariest thing we’ve ever done.”

The Doctor gave Paige a quick hug. He didn’t have to, but he saw the look in the other Doctor’s eyes when he looked at Paige. His future self gave him a second chance, and he would do everything he could to keep Paige safe.

Meanwhile, Minuette had been messing with controls on the TARDIS, continuing to levitate the void drive. Before setting it down anywhere she needed to have a proper receptor for it; the technology was too unstable to just let it sit around. After a few more seconds, the large hollow cylinder in the center of the consol slid downwards, opening up the inside. She rose the sphere up to the top, then deactivated her magic. The TARDIS machinery got a hold of the drive, and it rose up until it was out of sight. The hollow cylinder closed once again. “The TARDIS should now be able to fly into the void. We can take all the data we’ve gotten from going after events caused by Chaos in his path to charge power and find him. We can also go back and forth between universes.”

The other three joined Minuette at the console, all just staring at it. “I don’t like how often the possible destruction of all existence was mentioned in these prophecies,” the Doctor said. “But we can do this. One last fight to stop Chaos, and save everything.”

A long pause made the room silent for a moment. “I’m ready,” Paige spoke up, turning to face the Doctor.

“Me too,” Jack added, doing the same.

“You’re right Doctor, we can do this. Let’s stop him before it’s too late. All of creation is at stake.” After Minuette spoke, all four were looking at each other, nodding at the confidence and trust between them.

“Then we haven’t got a moment to lose,” the Doctor said. “Let’s go.”


	16. The End of All Things, Part 1

_I see him in my dreams. The incredible Doctor. A beacon of hope in universes filled with terror. I see him singlehandedly protect millions at a time from threats that no one else has ever been able to victoriously face. I see him care for the needy, help the innocent, and be more brilliant than any living creature that has ever existed in all of time. Then I wake up, and I wouldn’t even be able to tell you I think aliens exist._

_It’s thanks to the cracks in the universes that I can see him. I don’t really understand it all, it would help if I could mull over it while I’m awake, but the universe energy from the universe he is in is very strong, and it sort of flows into my head. God, I wish I could wake up and tell everyone about what I’ve seen, but as soon as I awake, my brain thinks it had some random dream about going to the supermarket without any pants._

_Everything is beginning to converge now, so my dreams are becoming more and more intense. The final conflict is over, which is why I’m trying to write some things down while I still have a chance. I don’t know if it’s possible for anyone to find and read what I’ve written in a dream, but maybe, just maybe, it will be found some day._

_The necessary tool to enter the void was found, but the key the Doctor needs is still a mystery to him. I have seen all of the final battle, and the outcome that follows. I have very little time to try and write it all down, and hope I can finish telling the story._

_This is the story of the end of all things._

 

**

 

 _The Pony Universe_  
_Capetra (Planet 64598)_  
_2008 years after the Doctor’s initial arrival_

 

Serenity smiled as she trotted through the grass, laughing and playing with her android toy. The toy would fly around and make noises, and when she managed to hit it, the noises would change.

“Serenity! Dinner’s almost ready!”

“Coming mom!” Serenity shouted back, hearing her mom call out from inside the house. “Toy, deactivate.” The flying toy instantly shut off, and fell onto Serenity’s hoof. She returned to the house, going inside and putting the toy away before moving to the dinner table.

“You really like that toy, don’t you?” Serenity’s mother said, stirring a pot of noodles over the stove. “A new model is coming out soon. Do you think you’d want it for your eleventh birthday?”

“That would be great, mom!” Serenity replied. All the plates and silverware were stacked neatly on one end of the table. Before sitting down, she set three plates out, one for her, one for her mom, and one for her dad. The three of them lived in a small, quiet home, quite happily and comfortably.

“I think I know what my cutie mark is going to be mom, I’m close to figuring it out,” Serenity said.

“Oh really, and what might that be?” Before Serenity could respond, her mom heard something. “Hold on, Serenity, did you hear that?” Her mom lifted the pot off the stove so the water would stop boiling, and listened carefully. A strange whirring sound was coming from outside.

“What could that be?” Serenity’s mom thought aloud. A few moments later, her husband came running down the stairs. “Honey, is everything alright?”

“That sound…” was all he said.

Serenity’s father stepped outside, slowly walking as his eyes widened. He stepped closer and closer to a large blue box, which had faded into existence in his front yard. A brown pony with a cutie mark shaped like an hourglass stood before him, the wind gently rustling his tail.

“Doctor…”

“Hello Oliver,” the Doctor replied. “I thought I’d meet your daughter like you offered, and I have a favor to ask of you.”

 

**

 

 _Location unknown_  
_Time unknown_

 

Nothingness. No level of scientific study can explain the nothingness between the universes, for something must be there in order for study to take place. There were some things that could not be explained by even the highest and oldest of species; only beings that existed before time understood the true extent of reality. The oldest tale, the tail of good against evil, light against the darkness, all originated from the creators and the destroyers. 

Chaos meditated from deep within the void, his power building. Soon he would have enough power to begin truly tearing apart all of existence, and bringing it into the void, leaving nothing but the emptiness.

He had expanded to countless universes, performing small acts of disarray to slowly build his power. His abilities did not come from one universe energy field, they came from many, mixing with each other to create something completely new. All that was needed was the catalyst tear, and the rest would soon follow.

And there were two universes in particular he’d start with. He would use the Doctor’s own universe and the universe he was in now as the ignition point. He would make the Doctor be the first one to suffer.

 

**

 

_Capetra_

 

After setting a few extra plates, eating dinner, and using the sonic screwdriver to update Serenity’s favorite toy, Oliver, the Doctor, and all the Doctor’s companions sat at the dining room table, while Oliver’s wife kept Serenity occupied. A chilled silence overcame them, as both parties knew that while the visit started in a positive light, there were serious matters to be discussed.

“I didn’t really expect to see you again, yet here you are,” Oliver said. “She’s here to laugh, play, and meet you because of you. I am forever in you debt; any favor you need, if I can do it, it is my honor to help.”

“She’s a lovely daughter, Oliver, brilliant too,” the Doctor replied. He sat back in his chair a bit, letting out a sigh. “I’m glad you are all happy.”

“What troubles you, Doctor?” Oliver asked.

“A battle is about to begin. And I’m a part of it,” the Doctor replied. “Everything is at risk.”

“What can I do to help?”

“I’m usually never the one for guns, but I don’t know what lies ahead,” the Doctor said. “I fear that now may be a time where weapons are necessary. I can’t leave any of my friends unprotected. Can you build more sonic blasters like the one you had when we met?”

Oliver thought for a moment, then nodded. “I will need to go out and get some supplies, but I can have one for each of you made within four hours. Will that do?”

“That’s even quicker than I had hoped. Thank you, Oliver,” the Doctor said. Oliver stood, moving for the door, but stopped and turned back. 

“Doctor, I will do this for you easily, but I must ask, you don’t seem like the type that gets involved in a fight as big as you are describing,” he said. “Is everything alright?”

“I wish I could say everything is alright, but it’s not at the moment,” the Doctor replied. “And don’t worry about me. I don’t like getting involved in conflicts, I actually try to avoid them, but they end up finding me anyways.”

“I understand.” Oliver turned again, informing his wife and daughter that he’d be back in a little while, he left some things at work.

Minuette spoke up. “Hard to believe that in a home like this, with a loving wife and a little daughter, someone would be so easily willing to make weaponry.”

“Because he knows my intention,” the Doctor replied. “He knows what it looks like to simply be trying to help people, because he’s been in the same place before, with a sonic blaster on his hoof, and no evil intent.”

Paige couldn’t help but stare at Serenity in the other room. She was so innocent. So young. Over the past half a year, Paige had traveled to dozens of worlds. Sometimes it ended up just being a fun trip where they got to see a talking two headed fish. But other times, they would find people in need, dangers lurking, matters of life and death. And they’d save them, the Doctor and her. All Paige could think about was if they couldn’t stop Chaos. All they had done, all the people they had helped, would have been for nothing. She couldn't bear to think about that. She couldn’t bear to think of all those lives, and infinitely many others, gone in an instant.

Along with that, she couldn’t imagine being without the Doctor. She hadn’t fallen in love with him, she knew the Doctor well enough to see that it would never happen. Hearing his entire story be told to Minuette revealed the pain he had experienced in the past with falling in love, which helped even more. But she had certainly fallen in love with travelling with him. Ordinary life, working at the library, going home, reading a good book, going to bed. It felt so far away. She couldn’t imagine going back to anything like that. She needed to be with him, helping people, making people smile, seeing things beyond her wildest dreams. She couldn’t imagine leaving this life behind.

“Once Oliver is done, we’ll have sonic blasters in the style of your new screwdriver?” Jack asked.

“Correct,” the Doctor said.

“Are these really going to help against something as powerful as Chaos, though?”

“It’s not because of Chaos that I want these,” the Doctor replied. “I may not know how to defeat him yet, but when we enter the void, he’s likely going to think I have something in mind already, and attempt to block us first. He’s thrown things at me from my universe, beetles, daleks… there are a lot of things he could throw at me that we’d need protection against. I don’t want to be without weaponry like we were in Canterlot.”

The Doctor noticed Paige staring at Serenity, a small tear dropping from her face, and he got up from his seat, moving next to her. “Paige,” he said softly, startling her and causing her to look at him. “Are you alright?”

Paige took a deep breath, and nodded. “We’re going to stop Chaos,” she said with confidence. “We have to.”

“That’s my Paige,” the Doctor said, grinning. “Curious, strong, brilliant Paige.” He placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Always look at the end, not at what’s happening now.”

“With Chaos defeated, everything will be safe, and our adventures can go back to normal. If you could call any of what we do normal.” She chuckled.

“Absolutely.”

 

**

 

Oliver returned with the supplies and immediately set to work. The Doctor tinkered with more of Serenity’s toys, and Oliver’s wife prepared some coffee for everyone to have. Paige joined the Doctor in having fun with Serenity, leaving Jack and Minuette alone at the table.

Minuette magically stirred her drink with a spoon, while Jack took a careful sip. “Do you think we can finish this? Save everything?” Minuette asked.

“Do you?” Jack replied.

Minuette thought for a moment. “I do,” she said. “I guess I’m just nervous. Truthfully, I don’t doubt the Doctor at all. If there’s anyone that can beat Chaos, it’s him.”

“You really have grown to like him, haven’t you?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Minuette chuckled. “He’s the only one who can share my pain. I didn’t know for sure what had happened to Gallifrey until he showed up, but my time in Equestria made me believe that I was the last of my kind. Now I have him. At least until…”

“Until what?”

“Nothing. I was thinking about something else.” Minuette had realized something that she didn’t know whether or not to be true. However, she didn’t want to share it just yet.

“But how about you?” Minuette asked. “How do you feel about all this?”

“I don’t know,” Jack replied. “I always get nervous when the Doctor gets like this. He doesn’t like fights. He fights when it helps people, and it’s always in defense, never on the attack. When the Doctor has to be on the offensive side, he acts different. The way he’s acting now. I don’t know how to help him, but something inside him changes when a real battle is waging. He doesn’t want to fight, but he does because he knows he must. Me, I like helping people too. I’ve done all sorts of things with my immortal life so far, had a long term gig on Earth, traveled around after that. To be back with the Doctor is pretty incredible; I wish I could stick around more often. But unfortunately, I’ve got my own journey to do.”

Minuette nodded. “This feels familiar. You and I having our own little conversation.”

“Well, there’s some gap of unknown length in our memory from all the stuff that ended up never actually happening,” Jack said, to which both chuckled. “I think I’m glad I don’t remember though. I’d rather not know why I didn’t even show up to the temple.”

“True.” Minuette thought back on the message her older self told her to give to the Doctor when he needed to hear it. She didn’t know when the words would be needed, but she kept them fresh in her mind, not wanting to lose a single part.

 

**

 

The sun set, and Serenity got tucked into bed by her mother. All was calm and quiet in the house; the only sound at this hour was the gentle ticking of an old fashioned clock on the wall. The seconds ticked by, each tick breaking the stilled silence of the living room. 

Oliver came down and placed the devices on the dining room table. Each one was bound with black leather, with all sorts of mechanical components stitched in to the band, and a small silver cylinder that stood up from the rest, where the blast itself came from. “Be careful when testing them out, be sure to get a feel for them,” Oliver said.

“Again, I can’t thank you enough,” the Doctor replied. “I apologize for keeping you up so late.”

“It’s quite alright Doctor, I wanted to finish these for you.” Oliver looked at the Doctor. “Doctor, there’s something I think you should do, before this battle begins.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t imagine how many you have helped, with the way you carry yourself,” Oliver said. “I fear what could happen to you in this battle you must go to, but I am glad to have the knowledge that you are doing so, so that I may send you my thoughts. I ask you, even if it’s a very brief message, to tell those whose lives you have touched about what is to come. You have made a friend out of me, Doctor, and I put my faith in you.”

The Doctor thought for a long moment about what Oliver said. He had always just run away, never to look back, just to save the day and move on to the next adventure. His mind came to Utah, when all of time began happening at once, and River had sent out a help message to the stars, showing the Doctor how many people knew who he was. He didn’t like being that well known, it led to some problems, but a feeling of warmth grew inside him as he realized he had more friends than he thought. Perhaps Oliver was right.

“I’m just… not sure what I’d say… I’m not good at seeing people again…”

Paige had an idea. “I can write the message,” she offered. “I think I know what to say.”

The Doctor was surprised, but nodded in agreement. “Consider it done then, Oliver,” the Doctor replied. “All I ask of you now is that you protect what you have. Cherish it. This battle is big, and I don’t know what will come of it. There may not be much time left.”

Oliver nodded. “All I know about you is that you have a remarkable ship. Hearing all this, I’d rather not ask for details on what’s about to happen. At least, not until it’s over. I will do as you say, Doctor, for it’s what I do every day anyways. Be safe.”

“Thank you.” With that, the Doctor and Oliver shook hooves, and the four departed the house.

A calm wind blew, and the stars twinkled above their heads. The vast, infinite universe, shining brightly for anyone, no matter where they were, to see, so long as they were looking. The Doctor entered the TARDIS, and began looking for some paper. Paige entered, took the discovered paper from the Doctor, and with the aid of Minuette’s magic, she began.

 

**

 

 _The Griffon Kingdom_  
_290 years before Paige’s birth_

 

The griffon kingdom glistened more than ever, as its beautiful, bustling castles and villages enjoyed a renaissance built off the peace treaty between Celestia’s kingdom and theirs. Ponies that traveled long and far to share their works or trade with griffons were greeted peacefully and with joy, arts and academics flourished. Prince Davion and Princess Celestia created a joint kingdom military force, separate from each of their individual ones, to create a powerful and protected alliance. Nothing would threaten their kingdoms for decades, if not centuries to come.

Altea still served Prince Davion directly, working in the castle guard. Soon his retirement would come; he wasn’t too old, but being on the guard came with living a tough life, and it was about time for him to leave it to the younger griffons.

He walked upon the lush, green grass as he headed home. The sun was still high in the sky, he had been released from work early today. In just a few more months, he would retire, and live peacefully for the rest of his days.

As he walked, a harsh wind suddenly hit him. He raised a claw in front of his eyes to shield himself, his feathers ruffling in the breeze, and his raised claw instinctively caught something that came flying at him. Shortly after, the breeze calmed again, and he looked down to see what was in his claw. He discovered a pale blue envelope, with no markings on it, only a seal. Curious, he cautiously ripped open the envelope, and pulled out the letter contained inside. He had never seen paper like this, it seemed quite refined.

 

**

 

 _New Vender (Planet 02488)_  
_2800 years after Altea received his letter_

 

Nurse Cinnamon trotted through the halls of the hospital, cheerily greeting patients as they walked by. She loved putting smiles on ponies’ faces. It was the reason she became a nurse in the first place, to help people and make them happier. It made her even more overjoyed when others joined her in the cause of helping others, and she was about to visit a pony who did just that.

“Looks like those cookies and juice are helping you recover,” Cinnamon said sweetly, entering a room that had one stallion in a hospital bed. “I don’t know what this hospital would do without you; every month when we do blood donations, I get to see your face, Daniel.”

Daniel smiled, swallowing his bite of cookie. “You could say I have a good reason to do this. That, and the cookies are always delicious.”

Cinnamon chuckled, and Daniel laughed too. A moment later, a knock came on the door, and both looked up.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” Luke said, popping his head into the doorway. “How was donating blood?”

“Great as always,” Daniel replied. “Nurse Cinnamon gave me extra cookies since I’ve been coming for so long.”

“Well, thank you for treating my husband like that, nurse,” Luke said, to which Cinnamon beamed and nodded. “Hey Luke, I brought somepony to say hello.”

“Oh really, who?”

Luke walked forward, and from behind him came Ruby. Daniel stiffened in bed as if coming to attention, and gave a salute.

“Oh stop it you,” Ruby said, laughing while Daniel grinned widely, successfully making Ruby blush.

“It’s not every day somepony like me gets to be in the presence of an admiral,” Daniel replied.

“Yeah, yeah, you know you’re a friend,” Ruby replied. “But thanks. The new uniform does feel good. I hear though that you’re no longer the only officer in this marriage?”

“That’s right,” Daniel said. “We got married before I was an officer so it was fine for just one of us to be one, but now we don’t have to worry about it anyways. Meet Lieutenant Luke, engineering officer.”

Luke blushed, not having realized that Ruby got the news. He was going to tell her himself when they got to the hospital.

“No longer the jack of all trades, eh? Decided on engineering?”

“It was my favorite,” Luke replied. “And worth the paycheck to specialize a bit more. My new uniform feels good, too.”

“Get me a picture of you two in uniform, I’m surprised I don’t have one,” Ruby said. “And congratulations. You two keep enjoying your adventures, my ship flying days are over. It was time for me to accept the promotion and settle down to a regular schedule.”

Another nurse entered the room and cleared her throat. “Excuse me everypony,” the nurse said. “But I just received a letter from a stallion outside, he seemed in a bit of a rush. He said it was for the three ponies in this room, but not the nurse, but he didn’t mean to leave the nurse out, so he also gave me a banana.” The nurse looked quite confused, gave the letter to Ruby, and gave the banana to nurse Cinnamon, who shrugged and excused herself from the room to enjoy the snack and give the other three some privacy.

“What’s the letter? Who would write to all three of us specifically?” Daniel asked.

Ruby stared down at the envelope. It was a pale blue, with no writing on it. “It’s not addressed to any of us, and it doesn’t say who it’s from,” she said. Her horn glowed, and she levitated the envelope in front of her for a moment. “I’ve dealt with tricks before, my magic isn’t picking up anything.”

Everypony’s ears flicked when they heard something outside the hospital. A faint, but familiar noise. Luke went up to the window, looking outside, only seeing ponies walking about, hovercrafts going to and fro, clean grass, tall buildings. A normal day.

“That sounded like…” Luke lost his train of thought.

“I say we better open this letter,” Ruby said.

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_Equestria_  
_2500 years before Ruby received her letter_

 

The sun glistened in the tall windows of Canterlot castle, naturally illuminating the spacious throne room. Celestia sat alone, working on financial documents, when she heard the doors open on the far end.

A very familiar mare came through the doors. Celestia couldn’t believe how much she had grown. She had truly proven herself to be worthy of the path Celestia had believed she would take.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, bowing slightly.

“Princess Twilight,” Celestia replied, giving a bow of her own. “We don’t need to be so formal, my student. What troubles you?”

“The Doctor…” Twilight began. She bit her lip, and Celestia noticed something tucked underneath her right wing. “You told me about him once. About how there’s nothing we can do against Chaos, and we must leave it to him. I thought I didn’t know him, but then later… I did.”

“Go on?”

“It was a little while after I experienced time travel, I think that’s what helped,” Twilight said. “I remember some things that according to history didn’t happen. The Doctor was there, and helped me save Ponyville from a dilemma.” She paused, lifting her wing and using her magic to lift up a crisp note in front of her face. “This letter was delivered to me, and it’s from him. I thought you should read it as well.”

Celestia was intrigued. “Let me see,” she said, and Twilight levitated the letter over. Celestia used her magic to take over holding the letter, and began to read.

 

**

 

_To the receivers of this letter,_

 

_You are getting this letter because at some point in your life you have experienced an event that you can’t really explain, something incredible yet tragic at the same time. And when that moment came, a mysterious stallion called the Doctor helped you, and together you saved lives._

_I write this letter to you to warn you of an oncoming storm. All of creation is at risk; there is a great evil that has been preparing to strike, but the Doctor is going to try and stop it. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he truly cares when others think positively about him. In fact, he needs it. He needs others to believe in him, or else sometimes he may not believe in himself._

_All I ask is that you put your faith in him. I know that the Doctor can save us all, but he needs to know that others are thinking of him. He cares so much about others that he forgets to care for his own needs. Be prepared for the worst to happen, but know that the Doctor is up there, somewhere in the sky, fighting with all his might. If things begin to look grim, know that, and hold on to that. Please take care, for not long after this warning has been sent, the fight is going to begin. I don’t know what will happen when it does._

 

_Sincerely,_

_Paige Turner_

 

**

 

Altea clutched the note tightly, his thoughts returning to the day that ponies and griffons no longer fought. The day that his kingdom was saved, and his own life was saved. The time to go home was later. He gripped the note tightly in his claw, spread his wings, and took off into the air, flying back to the castle.

 

**

 

“He was a character, wasn’t he?” Ruby said, putting the note down.

“Is there any way we can help him?” Luke asked. “Get a ship, something.” He was breathing rapidly, having just found out the pony that saved his husband may be in trouble.

“Where would we find him?” Ruby replied. “If something more drastic and unexplainable than the frozen planet is happening, all we can do is as the letter says. Keep our thoughts on him.”

“She’s right, Luke, it’ll be ok,” Daniel said. “We have no way to actively help unless the Doctor is suddenly in a fight right above the planet or something.”

Daniel flinched in bed, and Ruby and Luke ducked for cover when a loud crash outside shook the entire hospital.

 

**

 

Celestia smiled as she read the note, and it only grew wider as she continued reading. “Clever girl, Paige, you did it,” she said.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Celestia,” Twilight said, her face displaying her confusion. “This letter looks like it’s just a warning about the impending conflict.”

“Oh, it’s more than that,” Celestia said. “Paige may not realize it, and the Doctor might not either, but Paige just discovered the key.”

 

**

 

The TARDIS took off as the final envelope was delivered to Captain Silver's house. Paige didn’t want to share with the Doctor what she wrote, and he allowed it, trusting her. The letter had been delivered to about half a dozen different people, all the ones that would remember the Doctor more than any other. From what the Doctor knew about Twilight, she would share the letter with princess Celestia, which saved a trip.

“That’s it,” the Doctor said. “I wish we could warn some that I know in my universe, but Chaos will likely detect us the moment we enter the void. When we go in, we have to start fighting.”

“Is it time?” Minuette asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath. “It’s time.”

There was a moment where everyone in the TARDIS simply looked at each other. There wasn’t a plan, there wasn’t anyone else to help, only they could defeat Chaos, and they weren’t even sure how to do that yet. But there was no time left; the fight needed to start.

The Doctor moved to the console, beginning to make scans for a good place to enter the void. Minuette walked to the other side; she would help fly the TARDIS while the fight went on to make things easier. “Everyone hold on tight,” the Doctor said. Paige’s heart pounded, and Jack grabbed on to a rail. “Activating the void drive.” The Doctor flipped some switches, and a loud hum came from the ceiling of the TARDIS where the void drive had been installed. “We’re going in.”

The TARDIS began to move, and after a few seconds, the entire thing shook hard. The Doctor and Minuette tripped away from the consol, and struggled to find a solid grip on the floor again.

“We’ve entered the void!” Minuette shouted. “The TARDIS is stable!”

“Start scanning!” the Doctor shouted back. “The TARDIS isn’t advanced enough to get any data out of the void, but Chaos will be giving off energy from our universes!”

Minuette activated a scan, searching for traces of universe energy. Her hooves rapidly traced over button after button, rhythmically working the controls. “I found something!” she called out.

“Then let’s head for it and see what happens!”

 

**

 

Chaos opened his eyes as he felt something stir the void. The Doctor. The Doctor was inside the void. He had been so focused on gaining his energy that he hadn’t observed the occurrences at the temple. His children had done many things across the Doctor’s timeline, but they had not stopped him there.

Anger grew inside as he felt the Doctor’s ship approach through the nothingness. He couldn’t just kill him, the Doctor had too much of two different universes flowing through him. He tried to destroy the ship, but he soon discovered that the ship wasn’t just parts, it was alive, and had the same mixture of universe energy inside it.

“Get out of my void _now_ ,” he said to himself. Chaos had more ways than destroying the ship to hold back the Doctor, but he didn’t want to utilize them yet. If the Doctor wanted to even attempt to foil his plans, he would have to face an army first. Chaos perfected his ability to take things from one universe and put them in another. He would not be facing one dalek ship that was badly damaged. He’d face much more this time.

 

**

 

“We’re getting close!” Minuette shouted.

“Alright, time to think of a plan then,” the Doctor said, pulling down a lever and looking at the monitor, trying to think of something. Suddenly, he found himself being thrown across the room, the TARDIS hit by some sort of massive force.

“What the hell was that?” Jack asked.

Minuette had been sent across the room as well, but got on her hooves faster than the Doctor. She ran back to the console, looking to see what had happened. “We’re no longer in the void! We’re back in the pony universe!”

The TARDIS was flying out of control, flipping through space as Minuette struggled to stabilize it.

“Any more specifics on location?”

“We’re a ways in the future from Paige’s time, I don’t know our location,” Minuette replied. “We got thrown out of the void so quickly that everything’s going haywire, scanners aren’t working, shields are fluctuating on and off… in fact, something is trying to teleport us off this ship!”

“What?” Paige yelled, flying in the air and holding Jack so that neither of them got thrown about the ship.

The Doctor arrived at the console again, and looked to confirm what Minuette was saying. “You’re right,” he told her. “Systems are slowly stabilizing, but if they don’t stabilize in time, whatever is trying to teleport us off this ship will succeed if they just find the right window-“

There was no longer anyone on board the TARDIS.

 

**

 

The Doctor and everyone else found themselves in a small, square room. All the walls were a shiny steel, and an energy field made up one side, preventing them from escaping. The Doctor looked to see that everyone still had their weapons, and he had his screwdriver. Whoever teleported them wasn’t able to teleport their bodies without what was attached to them.

“Where are we? What just happened?” Minuette looked out through the energy field. They were clearly in some sort of spaceship, but she had no idea what kind.

“This architecture… it’s familiar…” the Doctor walked up to a wall and sniffed it, trying to awaken memories. “I know the alloy this is made out of, but it’s more modernized than what I’m used to. I think it’s-“ the Doctor’s heart sank.

Before anyone could ask the Doctor to finish his sentence, they began to hear footsteps. These footsteps were not the sound of hooves, or feet. It was the sound of metal, pistons, heavy weight slamming down on the floor with each step. Everyone backed up against the rear wall of their prison, and soon the origin of the sound came into view, and turned to face them.

The Doctor had been thankful that he had only rarely encountered the vastly improved versions of these monstrosities. The older ones were still a force to be reckoned with, but were slow; they had exploitable weaknesses. These new ones had adapted much more; they were faster, stronger, and entire planets had been blown up just to stop one of them.

In front of them stood a modern cyber man. They’d been teleported to a cyber ship.


	17. The End of All Things, Part 2

_Events began to unfold. So many universes had felt the touch of Chaos, and soon all of them would. Chaos placed an obstacle in the Doctor’s way, one that even for him would be difficult to overcome. While the Doctor was trapped, Chaos prepared more and more, nearly ready to rip apart the fabric of time and space and pull all of existence into his realm._

_Those that could feel the hints of Chaos’ effect on the universe prepared for the worst, as I am preparing now. I must tell the story of the end of all things before my time is up._

_The winds of fate blew this way and that, the stepping stones being put in to place. The Doctor, Paige, Minuette, Jack, all trapped. There was a possibility of escape, but there is tragedy that comes with our existence._

_We can’t always save everyone._

 

**

 

“YOU ARE BEING HELD WHILE WE ANALYZE OUR CURRENT LOCATION. ONCE LOCATION AND TIME IS CONFIRMED YOU WILL BE ANALYZED FOR COMPATIBILITY WITH BEING UPGRADED. THERE IS NO NEED FOR FEAR. FEAR WILL SOON BE IRRELEVANT.”

The cyberman walked away from the energy field, his metal footsteps ringing through the corridor. The Doctor inhaled deeply. He hadn’t dealt with this stage of cyberman much. When he did, he barely escaped alive. The only way to defeat them was to either catch them by surprise before they could adapt to the situation, or blow up everything with a powerful blast, a blast that would likely take you with it.

They were held in a lower priority zone of the ship; there were no cybermen around besides the one that showed up for a brief moment, nor could the Doctor see much in the way of computer systems outside. Surveillance would be low at the start, but they’d have to move quickly. The Doctor continued to scan outside, seeing what the ship looked like. There was no external damage whatsoever, and from the small amount his ears could pick up with countless years being on space ships, no problems with internal engines either.

“This ship is in a lot better shape than the dalek ship we encountered,” the Doctor said. “But they just revealed by talking to us that they still sustained some slight damage from the teleport, which is our one advantage right now. Their scanners are slow to collect information, otherwise they’d already know exactly where they are and who I am. And they probably wouldn’t have allowed us to keep our weapons.”

“So let’s blast them to pieces,” Jack said, stepping forward. “Shoot our way out of here, find what they did with the TARDIS.”

“These aren’t the cybermen you know, Jack,” the Doctor replied. “It would be a possible yet crazy idea to shoot our way to the unknown location of my TARDIS were they the cybermen you’re used to, but these are new and improved. They move faster, hit stronger, and can adapt and upgrade so that they become immune to whatever you’re hitting them with.”

“Is it impossible to get out of here?” Minuette asked.

The Doctor began to pace back and forth, letting his thoughts flow freely. “Not completely. As I said, surprise is still our current advantage. Cybermen use the same parts in themselves that they do on all their ships, which means if their information analysis is down, it’s possible that being brought to this universe also slowed their individual ability to analyze and adapt to information. Which means…” The Doctor paused in both step and speech, bringing all of his focus to coming up with a plan.

“Could you improve our sonic blasters with your screwdriver, now that they’re already put together?” Paige asked. She had calmed herself from the sudden imprisonment, now focusing on the task at hand.

“Yes, that’s where my mind was starting to go,” the Doctor said. “Everybody, hold up your blaster one by one. I’m going to make some adjustments.”

The Doctor got to work, spending a couple minutes improving each blaster. He couldn’t improve the power much, but as he worked, he explained that he was randomizing the frequency that the blaster fired at, so every time the damage would be slightly different. With the randomization of the blasters and the supposed damage to analysis systems, their blasters would last a while.

“That still doesn’t help us from how powerful they are, however, we need to be careful,” the Doctor said. “These cybermen don’t trudge around one step at a time. They can be a hundred feet away and be on you in a flash. Surprise is our only hope of making it out of here alive.”

 

**

 

Chaos began to chuckle to himself as the moment of truth arrived. His power reached full potential. He’d built up his power slowly, performing an act that brought disorder to somewhere, expending energy, then recharging to a higher level. Now, he was fully reconnected with the universe energies outside of the void, and would no longer need to recharge. With the Doctor out of the way, he could continue working.

 _Why not have a bit more fun?_  Chaos thought to himself.  _I think I’ll give the Doctor something else to worry about if he ever gets away from the cybermen alive._

 

**

 

The Doctor took a deep breath when he finished his work on the blasters. “Alright everyone, we have to assume the worst because right now it just about is. We have no idea where the TARDIS is, we have no backup, and we have very little time to fight once we break out of this prison. Stick together, everyone. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind, thoughts on how in the world I’m going to defeat Chaos when we get out of here would be great.”

“This feels like the night when Rose made me… what I am today,” Jack said. He charged up his blaster, fiddling with it for a moment to make sure it was on his foreleg straight. “Except the daleks are at the top of the station and we’re the ones trying to get up.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Minuette said. “Let’s go.”

Everyone stepped back from the energy shield, pressing all the way against the back wall. The Doctor activated his screwdriver to begin tampering with the energy shield slightly, making it shimmer and buzz. Everyone else raised their blaster, putting all their individual fears away, focusing on who was to their left and right.

Simultaneously, everyone fired, and the energy shield sparked then buzzed out to nothingness. Immediately, a cyberman appeared in the entryway as if from nowhere, showing Minuette, Paige, and Jack for the first time just how quick these modern monstrosities could be. However, the cyberman was met with a quick second blast from all three of the Doctor’s companions. Sparks fluttered for a moment, the cyberman shook and buzzed loudly, then fell to the ground.

The Doctor quickly jumped over the cyberman body, looking both ways after exiting the prison. He saw more prisons just like the one they were in; they were likely also upgrade chambers with all the mechanics hidden behind the walls, that way they could analyze species taken, given their expansion from purely human targets, and perform an upgrade after.

“That cyberman must have been on guard, there’s nothing else out here. Let’s go!”

Everyone else jumped over the cyberman and joined the Doctor in the hallway, beginning to run. They all knew time was short before they’d be discovered, if it hadn’t already happened.

The Doctor had no clue where to start. He relied on his instincts, turning at the end of the hallway they had found themselves in. When he turned, he stopped for a moment to take in the scenery.

The travelers stood with a window on their left, showing the empty space outside. To their right, a silver pole traveled from one end of the hall to the next, a thin glass pane underneath, forming a railing. On the other side of the railing was a one floor drop, where they could see cybermen pushing around large, metal crates in a wide, open room. The floors were a pale white, and some automatic cranes aided the cybermen with vertical lifting of crates. Some crates were closed, others had open tops, showing miscellaneous parts of machinery.

“It’s a cargo bay,” the Doctor whispered, not wanting to alert the cybermen below to their presence. “I don’t see the TARDIS.”

“Look.” Minuette pointed to a number on one of the walls of the floor below. “3. Perhaps there’s more than one cargo bay. This ship may still be the one holding your TARDIS.”

“Cybermen like to prioritize,” the Doctor said. “My guess is that since they found the TARDIS but think that they haven’t found the Doctor, they’re pretty curious as to what happened. It will be in cargo bay 1.”

“So we have to get through two cargo bays and who knows what else to get to it,” Jack said, looking down through the glass.

“If that’s all we have to go through. I don’t know the layout of this ship.”

“Doctor, look outside.”

Paige’s gaze was stuck at the window, looking out at something in the open space. The Doctor turned from his analysis of the cargo bay and looked out.

Not only had Chaos sent a ship into this universe in better shape than before, he had sent an entire fleet of cyber ships. Half a dozen showed themselves through the window. And that wasn’t the worst of their problems.

Below the ships floated a planet, orbiting some unknown star that wasn’t visible through this window. The ships were in orbit of the planet, and the Doctor knew what would come next when the cybermen finished repairs.

“We’ve been caught in a full on war,” the Doctor said. “If I can’t get to my TARDIS and find a way to destroy these ships in time, they’ll repair, be able to adapt, and I’ll no longer have any way of stopping them.”

“Doctor, we need to get this war started,” Jack said, raising his voice above a whisper now. “There’s a cyberman up here!”

In a split second, a cyberman from the other end of the platform arrived right in front of the travelers, grabbing Jack by the throat. He lifted him up and threw him, sending him crashing to the cargo bay below.

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s Universe_  
_21st Century_  
_Earth_  
_UNIT Headquarters_

 

“We need answers!”

Colonel Hutchinson slammed his hand down on the table. He had no idea what was coming, he only knew that something drastic was about to occur. He couldn’t protect the world from something he didn’t know how to prepare for. He sat at a long, thin conference table in a room of UNIT that only about three dozen people had the security clearance to enter. Five were currently in the room now; himself, a lieutenant Colonel, two scientists from the labs, and Martha Jones. The room was dimly lit, and all the windows that showed the outside hallway were blacked out for the duration of the meeting.

“I’m sorry sir, but we’re just lost in the lab,” Dr. Henderson explained. “We keep getting these strange energy readings, on earth, light years away from earth, all over the place! But we don’t know what they mean!”

“It is clear now that when the Doctor arrived, he did not come of his own free will,” Dr. Pres continued. “The energy readings are similar to the ones we detected when the Doctor arrived on the planet in his new form.”

“The Doctor spoke about every parallel universe in existence being in danger,” Martha said. “We don’t know if he’s made any progress on that end. It could be signs of the fabric of space and time continuing to tear apart.”

“Is there any word from the Doctor?” the Colonel asked.

“No; to be honest I don’t even know if he made it back to the other universe alive,” Martha replied. “The scientists are still running tests on all the changes he made, trying to make sure they understand it before using it. Right now I’m just… putting my faith in him, that he’s alive, and fighting.”

“Faith may be all we have,” Hutchinson sighed, leaning back in his chair. He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the pain in his back. This week had been long.

“Unless there can be more discovered in the lab, all we can do is keep UNIT on red alert and press on,” Lieutenant Colonel Larson said, letting out a sigh.

Martha rubbed her temples, trying to soothe her headache. They needed answers, but they didn’t have the technology to do it. They needed more advanced knowledge of what was going on, or more advanced machinery, or…

An idea struck her.

Martha stood up. “Colonel, I know your first response is going to be that you can’t risk it without conclusive tests, so I’m going to start by saying I don’t care. I need to make a universe jump.”

“Dr. Jones, calm yourself,” the colonel said, raising a hand. “You took the words out of my mouth. We don’t even know if the Doctor successfully made the jump-“

“I’m putting my faith in him,” Martha replied. “He believed he had the machine perfectly ready for a jump, and I have no reason to doubt him. I’ve taken bigger risks than this.”

 

**

 

_The Pony Universe_

 

The cyberman flailed about as its circuits fried due to Minuette blasting it in the chest. The Doctor jumped up on the railing and jumped up again, pushing in to the cyberman’s head and causing him to fall over to the ground as it shut down. Cybermen below looked up and began shooting towards the railing, causing the three still on the upper level to duck instinctively.

“We have to get out of here! Either we stay up here or jump down, we need to make a choice!” the Doctor shouted.

“What about Jack?” Paige yelled back.

“Don’t forget the stories I told you, he’ll be fine. But we need to get down to him!”

The Doctor looked down through the glass, luckily since it was built by the cybermen it was holding up to the attack from below. He found where Jack landed; his body rested in a corner behind several crates, unmoving, lifeless.

Ignoring the chaos around him, the Doctor focused, working out a plan. He needed to get to Jack safely. There were too many cybermen and the drop was too far. He had two companions to help him, and when he looked at the cranes again, an idea struck him.

“Paige, we need to spread out their fire. Run down to the other edge of the rail!”

Paige obliged and ran down to the other end of the platform. Some of the cybermen turned, directing their fire towards her.

“Minuette, I need cover fire. Be careful.”

Minuette nodded, and inched closer to the railing. The Doctor let his breath slow, waiting for the timing to be just right. When a crane retracted to the ceiling, the Doctor tensed. It then moved closer to the platform, getting within range for a jump.

The Doctor ran forward, leaping on to the railing and getting one final push, soaring into the air. He slammed onto the crane, using the joints in his forelegs as grip. Minuette rose to her hind legs, placing her front hooves over the railing. She let off several shots, two missing but one managing to land square on a cyberman’s chest. Seeing that they were currently unable to upgrade and resist the sonic blasters, the cybermen moved, changing positions before firing again.

Minuette ducked her head, and the moment she ducked Paige rose, adding her fire to the support. With an offensive now coming from the railing, the cybermen were ignoring the pony hanging from the ceiling.

The Doctor flailed his hind legs about, struggling to hold on. He kept his grip until the crane began to lower, and dropped down into an open crate of parts. He scrambled onto his hooves and jumped out of the crate, landing next to Jack.

“Jack!” the Doctor shouted above the sound of blasts. “Wake up!”

Jack’s body jerked, and he gasped for breath. The Doctor held him, and helped him roll over as he coughed and sputtered. “That freakin robot snapped my spine!” he yelled. “What’s the situation now?”

“Lots of cybermen between us and the door, it hasn’t changed.”

Jack ran to the edge of the crate and peeked around, seeing the cybermen shooting up at Minuette and Paige, who were taking turns shooting back. He brought his head back behind the crate. “They’re ignoring us because we’re not a current threat, if we start shooting back they’ll do their little speed run and be on us in seconds.”

The Doctor peaked around the corner, and groaned. “We’re so close!” he said. “We just need a little more firepower…”

Jack shook his head. “We’re not going to get it, we’ll have to shoot fast and make do.” Jack didn’t hesitate anymore. He popped out from behind the crate, and fired off three shots, landing two of them on two different cybermen. Afterwards, some fire began going towards him and the Doctor. Jack ducked behind cover again, waiting for the right moment to shoot.

Suddenly, the Doctor heard a noise amidst the shooting from the other end of the room. He peaked out his head from the other side of their cover, which was near the wall, not allowing him to see much. He did notice a large door opening, however.

Paige and Minuette had a better view. The large double doors at the end of the cargo bay were opening, on the other side, two dozen more cybermen came through.

Jack leaned out to let off some more shots, but didn’t get the chance to. Two dozen focused shots went straight for him. He avoided most of them, but one nicked his head on his way back behind cover, and he collapsed to the ground.

The Doctor’s heart sank. Had they been able to rush through this room, things may have been fine. But they got stuck too long, and now these reinforcements were too much.

Minuette saw the look on the Doctor’s face, and desperately looked around for a way to get to him. She had no cover to use the crane idea, and couldn’t perform a teleport spell. If she or Paige couldn’t get to him, he’d be dead.

“YOUR OPTIONS ARE OUT. GIVE UP YOUR WEAPONS OR BE DELETED.” One cyberman bellowed over the volume of the blasts. The Doctor looked at Jack’s dead body, seeing that there was no way out.

All of the shots suddenly stopped when an alarm began to sound on the ship. The lighting blinked between white and red, and the cybermen looked around, not knowing the reason for the alarm.

“WARNING,” a robotic voice similar to that of the cybermen echoed through the room. “SHIP DETECTED ON COLLISION COURSE WITH CARGGO BAY 3. ALERT. COLLISION IMMINENT.”

Everyone’s ears shattered from the screeching of metal grinding on metal as a small ship blasted through the wall of the cargo bay and skidded across the floor, flattening cybermen in its path and busting open crates full of parts. The vacuum of space began to pull, and all the random parts that had spilled out were instantly sucked out in to space.

Some cybermen activated an ability that magnetized their bodies to the floor, but others were not quick enough. Half of the cybermen left after the ship destroyed some flew out as well, beginning to float aimlessly.

The Doctor and Jack were lucky to be behind two large crates. The Doctor was pulled against the crate but wasn’t moving, merely feeling the pressure of air rapidly leaving the bay. Jack awoke, but couldn’t manage to gasp in a breath as he usually did. He quickly spread his hooves out on the crate, his eyes wide in panic.

Minuette was up against the glass, but Paige had been leaning over to fire. She had spun around, and was only barely hanging on to the rail with her hooves. She screamed, feeling her grip begin to loosen.

“Paige! Hold on!” Minuette screamed, reaching out a hoof.

Paige struggled with all her might, and let out another gasp of fear when one of her hooves lost its grip. Now all she had keeping her from flying into space was one hoof folded over the rail.

“I can’t hold on!” Paige flailed her free front hoof around, desperately trying to grab the railing again. Her hoof inched closer and closer to losing its grip.

“Paige, I can’t hold on to you with magic, the pull is too strong! You have to hang on!”

Paige’s hoof lost grip, and she screamed again, her body now headed for the hole in the ship.

“POWER TO AUTOMATIC SEALING RESTORED. ACTIVATING.”

An energy field appeared over the hole, and the bay pressurized again. Unlike when Jack fell, Minuette was able to react this time, and quickly grabbed Paige with her magic, preventing her from slamming in to the energy field. She gasped for air as she focused on levitating Paige to the cover that the Doctor and Jack were behind.

None of the cybermen cared about Paige, all were staring at the small ship that had blown a hole in their vessel. It was some sort of shuttle craft, probably only big enough for a crew of two or three. There was one door in the back, and it slowly began to open.

“DELETE THE PILOT.” One cyberman commanded. Two cybermen shifted to the back of the ship, their arms pointed at the opening door.

Before either cyberman saw what was inside, each was greeted with a blast much more powerful than the ones coming from the sonic blasters. The cybermen’s circuits didn’t just fry; they were knocked back about ten feet. Two figures came out from the ship, blasting away the cybermen that came to investigate.

One figure moved to either side of the ship, quickly and skillfully taking down all the remaining cybermen in the room with what looked like highly advanced rifles. Minuette watched in awe from above, while Jack, the Doctor, and Paige began to peek out from behind cover, hearing the shots and discovering it wasn’t the cybermen that won.

When only the sound of smoke and sparks filled the room, the three travelers behind the crates walked out slowly, and the Doctor couldn’t believe his eyes. The figure wasn’t facing him, but he knew who it was. He’d recognize that hair anywhere.

River turned around, looked down at the three ponies, and smiled slyly when she looked at the Doctor. “Hello, sweetie.”


	18. The End of All Things, Part 3

_Not only was the Doctor reuniting with old friends, but soon Martha would too. In the universe the Doctor finds himself in now, a calm had come, but the storm was only just beginning._

 

**

 

_The Doctor’s Universe_

 

Colonel Hutchinson decided not to argue with Martha, and Martha was on her way to the lab. Upon entering she walked straight to the dimension cannon, beginning to mess with the controls.

“Dr. Jones, what exactly do you intend to do?” Dr. Pres asked.

“Get help from people who will have more information than us,” Martha replied. After changing a few more settings, the machine began to hum loudly, and she grabbed a yellow button to put around her neck.

“Dr. Jones, if you’re going to jump, we’re confident you get there but we know for a fact you won’t be able to come back. We haven’t been able to figure that out yet.”

“Don’t worry, the people I’m visiting can get me back,” Martha said, and pressed the button, disappearing into thin air.

 

**

 

_The Pony Universe_

 

The Doctor’s jaw dropped, and he raised a hoof. Not only was it impossible for River to be standing in front of her, but she recognized him? Had she seen him like this before? “How did… you know it’s me?” he asked.

“Of course I know. Despite not knowing why you look like that, your face is unmistakable,” River replied, resting her rifle on her shoulder. “Every time I show up to say hello, your face is a unique mixture of confusion, excitement, fear, relief, anxiety, and just a hint of arousal.” She winked.

“Nice gun,” Jack commented, smiling. “You sure know how to shoot it.”

“Oh, I don’t know that face as well as I know you, Doctor, but I do know that voice. So this is where you’ve been, Jack?”

The Doctor secretly hoped the fact that Jack and River met was a lie.

“Yeah, you know, being a pony sounded fun, a little vacation from the archaeology work,” Jack replied. “But, before we talk more, who’s with you?”

The second figure that had stepped out of the ship came from around the other side, rifle still at the ready. “Everything’s clear,” she said.

The Doctor’s jaw dropped again. “Samantha!” he shouted in excitement, his face bursting into a smile.

Samantha’s first thought was confusion. The creatures that had been fighting off cybermen were all ponies. And now one just talked. But even though the voice was different, the eyes… what she’d heard River say… “Doctor?”

The Doctor ran up, and Samantha smiled widely, knowing now that it was him. She knelt down on one knee and the Doctor threw himself into a hug with her, wrapping his hooves around her neck.

The two held each other for a moment, then split apart, and the Doctor placed his hooves back on the ground. “How long has it been for you?” the Doctor asked.

“A couple months,” Samantha replied.

“It’s been longer than that for me… I can’t believe you’re here!”

“I’m just glad to see that you’re alive!” she exclaimed in delight. “But… you’re kind of a…”

“It’s a long story, one that just got even more confusing because you didn’t turn into a talking pony the moment you got here,” he replied.

“Let’s tell the story when we’re not fighting for our lives, then,” Samantha said, chuckling.

“Everyone, this is Samantha, the one I traveled with up until just before arriving here,” the Doctor said as he turned back around to his pony companions. “And I’ve also told you stories about River Song. This is her.”

River gave a smile and wave. “Nice to meet you. I’ve never met talking ponies, but I’ve met stranger creatures.”

“River, you personally know Jack, and Samantha, you at least know of him,” the Doctor continued. “He’s that one there. This is Paige. She’s been traveling with me for a while, has a fantastic curiosity for new things, and is brilliant on top of that.”

“Sounds like a good companion,” River said as Paige blushed. “And who might you be? You seem to have the same little tattoo that the Doctor has.”

“That’s Minuette,” the Doctor said, taking a deep breath. “She’s a… time lord.”

Samantha and River gasped. “Doctor…” Samantha began, at a loss for words.

“I’m no longer the only time lord,” the Doctor breathed.

River knew what another time lord meant to the Doctor. She felt incredibly happy for him, albeit confused as to Minuette’s origin. “You have a name?” she asked, surprised.

“It’s not my real name,” Minuette answered. “But I found myself in a new life, so I decided to take on a new title.”

“Fair enough, nice to meet you as well,” River said. “Well, Doctor, I quite like you as a pony. If you intend to stay like that I just might have to buy a saddle.”

“Get in line,” Jack said. The Doctor buried his face in his hoof. He really wished these two had never met.

“Anyway…” Samantha chimed in. “Doctor, regardless of what’s happened to you, we’re in the middle of a cyberman fleet. Where’s your TARDIS?”

“Our guess is cargo bay 1,” the Doctor replied. “We need to move before more cybermen arrive here. We can’t take down an entire ship of modern cybermen alone; hell, we’d be dead by now if they weren’t scared of their inability to upgrade.”

“I can set my ship to self-destruct,” River said. “But the question is, how do we save the planet below? Blowing up my ship will only destroy the ship we’re on right now.”

“I don’t know… even with you two here to help me now, this force is too strong…” The Doctor knew how to bluff a plan, but that would only delay the cybermen; he needed a way to destroy them.

“We’ll let’s start with this ship,” River said. “Figure out the rest later.”

River turned to go into her ship, and everyone followed. When River stepped in, however, she noticed a blinking light on communication. “Someone’s trying to reach us,” she said.

Samantha moved to the communications console and turned on the channel. A female voice came through. “This is the Equestrian Union, broadcasting on an open channel. Does anyone read?”

The Doctor waved at Samantha to let him talk. He moved up and pushed a button to start sending communication two ways. “Hello, this is the Doctor, and the Equestrian Union is in great danger. You need to-“

“Slow down, Doctor, that’s just the voice I wanted to hear,” the female voice replied. “This is Admiral Ruby, commander of sector 5 of this galaxy. I’m down on a planet right now with a good number of unidentified alien ships in orbit, and they’re not friendly. I take it since you’re here, you’re helping the fight?”

“Yes I am, I’m doing everything I can- Captain Ruby? Well, now Admiral Ruby? That’s you?”

“Yes, Doctor, I got promoted. Thanks for your letter, by the way, but since you’re here I can give you a little more than just my thoughts. These creatures have started to teleport planetside and are attacking cities. I’ve got ground forces scrambling and holding them back, and a dozen of the fleet’s finest ships five minutes out at maximum warp.”

“Ruby, you’re a lifesaver!” the Doctor shouted, jumping for joy. Paige smiled widely too while everyone else felt slight confusion, not knowing who this voice was.

“But listen to me,” the Doctor went on. “The only reason you’re even capable of fighting them right now is because they’re slightly wounded. The program they use to analyze and adapt to weaponry is malfunctioning, but they’re repairing it as we speak. If they finish, the only way to stop them will be to blow up the planet you stand on. We have to destroy them before they become unbeatable.”

“Oh good, I didn’t think they were hard enough with their super speed, super strength, and weaponry twice as advanced as ours,” Ruby said sarcastically. “We’re taking heavy hits down here, but we’ll hold them off and defend this planet. Anything else?”

“Yes, I’m on one of the cyber ships, please have your vessels on approach avoid shooting it, this one is being handled,” the Doctor told her.

“Which ship are you on?”

“You don’t know who I am, but I’m a friend of the Doctor’s,” River said, approaching the mic. “Just tell them not to shoot the one with a giant gaping hole in it.”

“Whoever you are, good going,” Ruby replied. “Doctor, I don’t know if this is the fight Paige’s letter spoke of or if there is more to come, but regardless, good luck, and know you are in our thoughts. Daniel and Luke’s thoughts, too. Admiral Ruby out.”

The transmission cut off, and River moved to immediately begin the self-destruct procedures for the ship.

“I’ll set the timers for 15 minutes,” River said. “That should be all the time we need to get to the TARDIS and get off of this ship.”

“ALERT. UNIDENTIFIED VESSELS ON APPROACH. ACCELERATE REPAIR OPERATIONS.” Everyone in the little ship jumped as a periodic alarm noise began going off in the bay after the loud voice chimed in.

“And it’s likely the only time we have before these cybermen become unbeatable,” River added. “Let’s move.”

“Could I get a bigger gun before we leave?” Jack asked.

“Do you have fingers?”

“Good point.”

 

**

 

 _Another Universe_  
_Earth_  
_UNIT Headquarters_

 

Martha staggered as the flash of light around her eyes faded, and she found herself in a similar, yet different location from where she had been. She opened her eyes to find multiple scientists staring at her, ready to sound an alarm.

“My name is Doctor Martha Jones, I work for UNIT in a parallel universe,” she said, holding her hands up to show she held no weaponry. “I mean no harm, I’m just looking for information. I know this universe is more advanced than mine. We’re trying to figure out what’s going on with the parallel universes.”

After a moment’s silence, a scientist stood up from his chair. “Dr. Jones, we are happy to help. We actually were just about to send two people to your universe to exchange information, but perhaps you could tell them yourself.”

Martha turned at the sound of footsteps behind her. Two people walked towards her. The first, a shorter female, with long blond hair. The second, a tall male, his hair spiked and stylish, with a blue suit and converse shoes.

“Rose,” Martha said, simply nodding her head.

“Martha,” Rose replied.

“Doctor?”

“Metacrisis one. Hello.”

“Right. Of course.” Martha shook her head, realizing her mistake. The man in front of her couldn’t be the Doctor she knew, but for a moment she thought he’d come back. This was the one that stayed with Rose, to learn how to live when not fighting a war, and to fulfill the love that the real Doctor could not.

“The Doctor. Is he alright?” Rose asked.

“He’s… fine,” Martha replied. “It’s a bit hard to explain. He’s in another parallel universe right now.”

“So the scale of the damage is as I suspected,” the Doctor replied. He turned, placing a hand on his chin. “Whatever’s happening is affecting countless universes.”

“I don’t understand, what is?”

“We’re looking at the possible end of all things.”

Martha froze. “What?”

“Listen, there’s not much time and you’ll likely be needed in your universe,” the Doctor said. “What we can show you is something that this universe’s UNIT has been working on.”

The Doctor, Rose, and Martha all walked across the spacious lab room, moving towards an array of computer screens that displayed various readings and energy levels.

“Thanks to this universe being ahead of yours, and the fact that it has me, we’ve been able to take extensive measurements on the fluctuations your universe is likely also experiencing,” the Doctor explained.

“That’s what we’ve been struggling with,” Martha said.

“Something large is happening within the void, something that I can’t even explain,” the Doctor continued. “But the fabric of space and time is tearing more and more. And it’s predicted that this will happen.”

The Doctor leaned down and pressed a view keys to pull up a simulated view of Earth in Space. A distance away from the Earth, a blue light appeared, then expanded lengthwise. The light then spread out to form a thin oval, in which no stars could be seen.

“When this occurs, all of reality will begin to collapse and fall into the void. Nothing will exist anymore,” the Doctor said.

“What can we do to stop it?”

“I don’t know.” The Doctor shut down the display, standing upright again. “Right now I’m just putting faith in the hope that the real Doctor is coming up with a plan.”

Martha did a double take after those words. “Why does this feel… familiar…” She couldn’t put her finger on it but the wording that the Doctor chose sparked some sort of reaction in her. She shook her head, leaving it for later. “I appreciate the information, but as you said, my universe may need me,” she said. “I could use an upgrade on my universe jumper if you don’t mind, we haven’t figured out return trips yet.”

“If you hear any more from the Doctor, please, get in contact with us,” Rose said. The Doctor called over a scientist to have a look at Martha’s device.

“I will,” Martha replied. She looked down for a moment. “I hope he’s alright.”

 

**

 

_The Pony Universe_

 

Everyone took a deep breath as they approached the door leading to what would hopefully be the next cargo bay. The alarm had subsided but the red light still flashed periodically, staining the colors of the room. River looked towards the Doctor, seeing the focus in his eyes, mixed with fear. She couldn’t say she didn’t feel the same; there was no time for the Doctor to explain anything that was going on. All she knew was the amount of temporal storms increased recently.

Thanks to River arriving, everyone escaped hell for a short time, and had a moment to breathe. But the Doctor knew hell awaited on the other side of that door, and would already be here if there wasn’t a gaping hole in the cybership.

“Don’t stop moving, don’t stop shooting,” the Doctor said. “The moment we hesitate, we’ll be gone. With how many cybermen we’ve destroyed, they’ll assign more priority to us.”

“Good thing they don’t know there’s two more guns joining in on the party,” River said, smiling. “Let’s go.”

Samantha slammed down on the control to open the door, and River pulled out a surprise her jacket hid. As soon as the large sliding doors cracked open she rolled a grenade through the slit, and by the time cybermen closest to the door could see any targets they were blown away from the blast. She followed it up with taking the lead into the next room, immediately shooting down three more cybermen before she was forced to take cover.

Paige couldn’t describe the emotions inside her the moment she stepped into the next room, starting a battle again. She couldn’t think; there wasn’t time to. She moved, she shot out, she hid. Her mind had no attachment to what she was doing, she only thought of the Doctor as she dashed behind a crate.

Minuette and the Doctor came next, and Minuette managed to hit a cyberman up on a high rise similar to the one in the previous room. As the cyberman fell, she noticed a large “2” on the wall, and pointed it out to the Doctor. She didn’t have to say a word, the Doctor merely nodded in response, analyzing the threat level in the room. At least cybermen liked basic organizational designs. If this was the layout of two cargo bays, number 1 would surely be the next room.

All anyone could hear was the sound of blasts whizzing back and forth. Lean out, shoot, duck behind crates, repeat. At the same time all had to watch for the cybermen looming above them, who had a much better view. River had been right; the cybermen weren’t expecting two more weapons that were also more powerful, which kept them from pushing their assault forward. River pushed their attack forward, leading the way. She ducked behind a crate again as several shots came her way.

“Jack, get behind me!” River shouted, a plan forming in her mind.

“Where is this going?” Jack shouted back.

“Any other time Jack, I’d laugh!”

Jack did as told, moving behind River. Most of the ground floor of the bay was actually clear, and if just a few more cybermen dropped, the only ones left would be the ones on the high rise.

“I need cover fire, Jack,” River said.

“You got it, just say when.”

The Doctor caught sight of three cybermen that weren’t firing. They were looking at River, waiting for her to move somewhere more open. The Doctor quickly ran over to where Samantha stood. “Samantha, those three there, aim at them!” the Doctor commanded.

Samantha didn’t ask questions; she took aim. River began to move out as the Doctor activated his screwdriver. Jack began giving River cover fire as she pushed forward. Samantha’s weapon began to shake. The cybermen above took aim.

“Fire, Samantha!”

Samantha unleashed a blast supercharged by the Doctor temporarily modifying the weapon with the sonic screwdriver. The blast took out all three cybermen, and left a black, smoking mark on the wall behind them.

River successfully took out all but one cyberman on the ground floor with her advance, but noticed the extra loud blast. Now seeing the vantage point the vaporized cybermen aimed from, she turned back and nodded in thanks.

“Doctor and Samantha, together again!” Samantha shouted, reaching down a hand. The Doctor gladly slapped it with his hoof, but soon afterwards the two came out from cover, no longer hearing any shots.

“They just… stopped,” Paige said, lowering her blaster hoof and looking around. All the remaining cybermen weren’t moving, their arms had dropped to their sides. Faint sounds of blasts coming from outside the ship entered the now quiet room. Admiral Ruby was fulfilling her promise.

“INTERNAL SYSTEMS REPAIR COMPLETE. CALCULATING RANDOM FREQUENCY OF SONIC DEVICES AND POWER OF OTHER WEAPONRY,” a cyberman-like voice bellowed throughout the room.

The Doctors eyes widened. These were modern cybermen, and the only think keeping himself and everyone else alive thus far was their fear of damage, since they couldn’t upgrade. They just lost the only advantage they had.

“UPGRADE IN PROGRESS.” There were still 10 cybermen in the room, though at this stage one would be enough of a threat. The cybermen’s bodies rumbled, their systems upgrading themselves. Even River’s weapons would now be useless.

Time seemed to slow down for the Doctor. He knew he was pushing off the ground with his hooves, but it felt like an eternity for just one leg to lift. “Run!” He knew he shouted the word, but he didn’t even hear himself say it.

Everything continued to move slowly in the Doctor’s eyes as he moved forward. River sprinted for the switch, opening the door to another cargo bay. Inside were more cybermen, all upgrading, preparing to be unbeatable. And at the end of the bay: a tall, thin, blue box.

Samantha moved through first, then River, Jack, Paige, the Doctor, and Minuette. River snapped her fingers as she ran, opening the TARDIS doors. The Doctor had programmed the doors to respond to River as well. The cybermen still shook and ticked, but only seconds were left.

Samantha threw herself into the TARDIS, grabbing on to the door to make sure it stayed open. “Go!” she shouted, urging everyone to move.

One by one, the others jumped inside, moving out of the way then looking back through the doors for those behind them.

The only two left were the Doctor and Minuette. River looked around from inside the TARDIS, seeing the cybermen begin to move. “Hurry!”

The Doctor gave one final push with his hind hooves, but as his body soared in to the TARDIS, he heard a blast from behind him, and a scream followed it.

The Doctor tried to look back, forgetting to watch his landing, and crashed down on the TARDIS floor, going into a roll. He didn’t hesitate when his hooves found grip again, however, and in less than a second was up again and looking out through the doors. What he saw made him gasp.

Minuette had been shot, and was now on the floor of the cargo bay, barely moving.

The Doctor ran towards the doors, but River got in his way. “Doctor, you can’t go back out there. We have to leave-“

“NO!”

The Doctor jumped and hit River in the side, pushing her out of the way. He ran to Minuette, ignoring everything else. There were two crates very close by, and the Doctor quickly pushed Minuette between them, rolling her over.

“Minuette… no, no no no, stay with me,” the Doctor pleaded, putting a hoof on her cheek. Minuette coughed and opened her eyes, and the Doctor grew fearful as he examined her. “Stay with me Minuette… you and me… the two timelords in all the universes… we’ll make it through this…”

Minuette coughed again, looking into the Doctor’s eyes. “I’m sorry Doctor…” she said slowly, her voice fading. “I told you… I used my last regeneration cycle when I came here… it’s time…”

“No…” tears began to run down the Doctor’s cheeks, and he slid his front hooves underneath Minuette, lifting her up slightly, holding her head along his foreleg. “You can make it…”

“I can’t Doctor…” Minuette replied. “That kind of blast… my body won’t recover…”

“I was going to surely die once…” the Doctor said. “There was no way to regenerate. But someone saved me. She used all her remaining regeneration cycles, and that person saved my life… I’m already using regeneration cycles I shouldn’t have, I can save you-“

“No!” Minuette’s voice returned to normal for just a moment as she held up a hoof to protest, before the weakness taking over her body returned. She thought about what she had mulled over in Oliver’s house, and because of it she wouldn’t let him do such a thing. “No Doctor…” she continued, her voice low again. “These universes need you more than they need me… you have to go… but first… there’s something you need to hear…”

The rate of the Doctor’s tears increased, and he sniffed, his eyes beginning to squint. “Please…”

Minuette recalled what she had been told exactly. Now the time came that the Doctor needed to hear it. “I’ve said this to you once before when you needed guidance… but you won’t remember it… I don’t even remember doing it…” she began.

“I know your life must feel like a curse… I can’t imagine the pain you’ve accumulated in your life… so many people dying around you…” Minuette inhaled deeply, holding on long enough to finish. “But you have to understand something… you have to understand this or you will… destroy yourself… and it will get worse than ever. You… are… good. You… are good, Doctor. Regardless… of what happens… your heart… is good.”

Minuette managed to smile before closing her eyes, and her body went limp in the Doctor’s hooves. The Doctor couldn’t hold back anymore, and the tears became accompanied by loud sobs. He hugged Minuette tight, her words ringing in his head.

The Doctor was forced to look up as the ship moved from some sort of blast. He crashed back into reality, and though his sobs ceased, the pain still clearly showed on his face.

He gently laid Minuette back on the floor, but only so he could duck his head underneath her. With some situating and a strong push, he stood up with Minuette’s body draped across his back. He came out from the crates, no longer caring what happened to him, and walked to the TARDIS. He didn’t know how he avoided shots from the cybermen, but he didn’t care, and made it inside.

As soon as he entered, Samantha slammed the door shut. River began piloting the TARDIS, getting it off the cyber ship. Moments later, the ship exploded in a ball of fire, the self-destruct unexpected enough to break through the upgrades.

Everything quieted as the TARDIS reached a safe distance from the fight, and the Doctor placed Minuette down, staring at her now closed eyes. There was no more room in his heart for tears, he desperately wanted to cry again but couldn’t bring himself to. Everyone else was circled around the Doctor, a short distance away.

Paige leaned into Jack’s neck, beginning to cry softly, and Jack raised a hoof to comfort her. Samantha just turned away, unable to look. She had only just met this pony, but knowing she was another time lord was enough for her to realize how important she was to the Doctor.

River slowly stepped away from the console, leaning down next to the Doctor and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Doctor… I’m so sorry…” she said, closing her eyes.

“She was the only connection to home I had…” the Doctor whispered, his eyes closing for a long moment as well.

“I know you don’t want to hear this right now, Doctor…” River continued. “But we have to move on. Although I still don’t know the full extent of what’s happening here, I know that this amount of temporal storm activity, the cybermen being in a parallel universe and having the ability to capture your TARDIS… and there’s something else we need to discuss…”

The Doctor held up a hoof. “I know…” he said. “But first… there’s a safe place in the TARDIS we can put her… please…”

“Of course. I’ll help you.”

 

**

 

The Doctor couldn’t shake the dead stare from his eyes. Minuette was locked away safely, and now all were back in the control room, trying to shake the memory away and focus on the moment.

River listened as the Doctor very briefly explained everything that was going on since time was short. Samantha listened as well, and both nodded silently when he was done.

“Now, what did you need to discuss with me?” the Doctor said.

“Back on the cyber ship…” River began slowly. “You didn’t take enough cover…”

“The cybermen had clear shots at you, and even tried to walk right up to you,” Samantha added.

 

**

 

_15 minutes earlier_

 

River shook her head and stood up after tripping from the Doctor’s push.

“There’s too many out there, he won’t make it!” Samantha cried out.

“We can’t go after him, we’ll die trying!” River replied. She ran to the console, turning the monitor on. Immediately a transmission came through.

“Doctor, are you there?” River recognized the voice as Ruby, the pony from earlier.

“The Doctor isn’t here, what do you need?” River replied quickly.

“Something has changed, the enemies on the ground are still weak, but the ships are no longer sustaining heavy damage. In fact; they look like they’re repairing. The ship you pointed out is beginning to harm us, we need to take action.”

“Please, we just need a bit more time, the ship will be handled. The Doctor is still on this ship!” She didn’t want to give away, or admit to herself that the Doctor may be dead at this point.

There was a pause on the other end. A blast hit the ship and shook it hard. “Please!” River cried out.

“I have ships pulling back. I’m taking the letter to heart and believing in the Doctor. We’ll keep this fight going as long as we can. You finish the fight that you need to finish.”

“Thank you!” River said, shutting of the comm. She began working controls, holding back the pain of her love likely being dead on the floor. “Please, don’t tell me if he’s dead, just say go. We need to get off this ship before my scout ship self-de-“

“Wait…” Paige interrupted. “Look!”

River turned her look to the outside, and what she saw made her jaw drop. The Doctor had taken Minuette behind a crate, but there wasn’t enough cover. However, every time the cybermen shot, nothing hit them. A large, orange, transparent bubble shielded the Doctor’s location. Every shot that hit the bubble fizzed into nothingness.

“What?” River said to herself.

A cyberman zoomed across the bay at ultra-high speed, and stopped at the bubble, attempting to slam its arm down. The cyberman vaporized into thin air.

“How is that possible?” Samantha said.

Soon after, the Doctor came around from behind the crates, his face stern, Minuette on his back, clearly dead. The bubble stayed around him, following him with every step he took.

“But Minuette… isn’t casting any magic…” Paige said.

The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS. As soon as he entered, Samantha slammed the door shut. The bubble disappeared.

 

**

 

_15 minutes later_

 

“Strange…” the Doctor replied. His mind hid away his torment for a bit, and a look of puzzlement replaced it. This needed to be solved. “How was that possible?”

“Maybe it… was you,” Paige replied. “I mean, you’re not a unicorn, but Celestia has faith in you, and the creator thought you had the ability to defeat Chaos. Maybe…” Paige formulated the end of her thought. “Maybe this has something to do with how you defeat Chaos.”

The Doctor thought hard, realizing the only possible thing was that the shield came from him. But how? He was alone. His friend was dying… his friend…

The Doctor began having flashbacks, his memory putting the puzzle together.

_“If you were to amplify the universe energy coursing through you, you could use it to defeat him.”_

_“How would I do so?”_

_“That, I cannot tell you,” the alicorn continued._

And even further back…

_“I told them about the Doctor,” Martha said. “And I told them to pass it on. To spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor.”_

_“Faith and hope?” the Master replied. “Is that all?”_

_“No.”_

The Doctor didn’t have a satellite system to tune into this time like in his flashback, when Martha had helped him defeat the Master and destroy the paradox machine, but this time many things were different. The magic in this universe… all of it suddenly began making sense. A spark twinkled in the Doctor’s eye, and he knew what must be done.

“All of you, I need you to do something for me,” the Doctor said, any trace of sadness now fading from his face as he became focused on the task at hand, realizing there was a chance. “I want you all to think about me. Don’t ask why, just do it.”

Everyone appeared confused, but agreed, bowing their heads, turning their thoughts to the Doctor. The Doctor turned his thoughts to those around him, remembering all the times they had shared, the good and the bad. Slowly, a gold aura began to form around him. The Doctor felt like his mind had opened up to an entirely new realm of possibilities. With more focus, and a bit of luck, the power that he felt could save everyone. If he made it on time.

The Doctor’s companions opened their eyes when they heard something strange, and all gasped at the golden aura around him. Jack had a similar flashback to the one the Doctor had, and his eyes widened. “Doctor, this is like…”

“It is,” the Doctor replied. The Doctor stopped focusing on thoughts of those around him, and the aura faded once more. “We have a chance.”

The Doctor ran to the console, typing a message as fast as he could. He sent it, and turned back to his companions.

 

**

 

 _New Vender_  
_Planet surface_  
_Emergency command post_

 

Ruby had control over several of the hospital’s computers after entering a secret security code to temporarily transform a medical analysis room into a command console, observing everything and giving out orders as needed. She turned when she saw a message blink up on one of her screens, and read it quickly.

_Ruby, this is the Doctor. This was faster than calling you. I have to go, but please, keep thinking of me, it’s more important than you realize. Spread the word. I am fighting to save everyone, but I need everyone to have hope I will succeed. I may never have the chance to explain, but I promise you I can do this._

Ruby wished she understood more of the message, but accepted it. While continuing to give orders to various ships, she began working on an audio message to all service members.

 

**

 

_The TARDIS_

 

“We can do this,” the Doctor said. His facial expression reflected his newly found determination. As much pain as he felt about Minuette, he took her words to heart, and they were helping more than he thought possible. “We are going to get back into the void, march into this evil being’s domain, and we are going to stop Chaos! Minuette’s death… will not be in vain.”

Everyone else’s confidence soared from the Doctor fueling it. This was the time to defeat Chaos, to finish it all. They all looked at each other for a moment, but were distracted by a sudden beeping coming from the console.

“What’s that?” River asked.

“The tracker that Minuette installed. Something is happening.” The Doctor pulled up the data, and his fear came back. “There’s a massive energy spike at Earth, 21st century. We need to go there now.” The Doctor set a target for a few minutes before the occurrence of the energy spike, and set the TARDIS in motion.

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_21st century_  
_Planet’s orbit_

 

The TARDIS faded into existence again, and the Doctor immediately began analyzing. “Everything should go back to the way it was if Chaos is defeated, but we can’t know for sure,” the Doctor said. “We have to take precautions and try to stop whatever’s about to happen.”

“What was the duration of the energy spike?” Samantha asked.

“Very short and very large,” the Doctor replied. “Something big is going to happen. I don’t know what he’s sending into this universe.”

The Doctor thought wrong. Nothing was coming into this universe. Something very different was about to happen.

The lights flickered and the entire TARDIS shook hard. The Doctor looked at the monitor again, and saw that they were no longer in the pony universe. They were back in his universe. And the pony Earth had come with them.

The TARDIS continued to shake vigorously, caught between the pony Earth… and the Earth the Doctor knew well. “We’re back in my universe!” the Doctor yelled. “And both Earths are going to collide!”

River made her way to the console, hanging on tightly. “I’m trying to do something… the pull between the two planets is too strong!”

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Earth_  
_UNIT Headquarters_

 

Colonel Hutchinson nearly tripped as the entire building shook. “Report!” He yelled. The lights had gone off, and the emergency alarm lights were blinking repeatedly.

“It came out of nowhere, Colonel, it’s another planet! Similar to Earth!” a scientist yelled back. “The planet is 40,000 kilometers away and closing fast! On a collision course with our planet!”

Hutchinson slammed his fist down on a table. “We have no choice. I want project emerald online right now!”

“Sir, we haven’t tested it properly, we don’t know what will happen-“

“It’s our only option. Do it!”

The scientist silenced himself and nodded, sending the order to the lab. The device was so loud, they could hear it from the office they were in. Colonel Hutchinson closed his eyes, waiting for the moment of truth, his thoughts going to his family, just in case the planets collided and these thoughts would be his last.


	19. The End of All Things, Part 4

_The end of all things neared. Chaos no longer lost energy when he performed acts of disarray. His body prepared the necessary magic to end it all. The Doctor had thought of a possible solution, but there was something he forgot._

_I must be quick in finishing this tale, for time before everything will black out grows short._

 

**

 

Martha nearly collapsed on the ground the moment she returned to her universe. A scientist running around noticed her appearance and caught her before she fell.

“What’s going on?” Martha yelled. There was a very loud humming noise inside the lab room.

“A planet appeared out of nowhere, and is moving to collide with Earth!” the scientist shouted back. “Project emerald is coming online now!”

“An entire planet?” Martha was dumbfounded. “I don’t think the device can handle that alone!”

“Maybe not, but it’s our only chance!”

 

**

 

_The pony earth_

 

Celestia and Luna worked together, desperately trying to stop the collision of planets.

“We are not strong enough, sister!” Luna cried out, her hooves burying into the floor as she coursed every ounce of magic she had through her horn. “We are slowing down our planet, but it is not enough. We can’t handle this alone!”

 

**

 

_The TARDIS_

 

“The TARDIS has towed a planet before, but pushing a planet back that’s going this fast, the TARDIS is struggling!” The Doctor fought with every control, the TARDIS groaning under the strain.

“We have to try, Doctor!” River replied. “Or else everyone on both planets will die, and if things don’t reset like you believe-“

“It’s just not possible,” the Doctor said. “The TARDIS can’t do this alone!”

 

**

 

_Earth_

 

“Project emerald coming online, activation in 20 seconds!”

“Do we have enough power?” Colonel Hutchinson asked.

“Sir,” another scientist chimed in. “Project Emerald doesn’t have the power to stop this, but hold on- something else is trying to stop the collision as well. There are two distinct readings that I don’t understand, and the third… Colonel, the TARDIS is between the planets!”

The colonel launched his fist in the air out of celebration. “Welcome back, Doctor!” he cheered. “Let’s give those other readings a helping hand.”

 

**

 

The pony earth soared towards the earth the Doctor knew, with the TARDIS in between. Celestia, Luna, and the Doctor all fought to prevent the planets from colliding. However, the collision only slowed; nothing stopped yet.

Suddenly, a faint boom created a wave of energy into space, and massive green rings began to emanate and expand from the planet surface. The rings shook the TARDIS hard, and everyone inside got thrown to the ground a few feet from where they originally stood.

“What… in the world…” the Doctor struggled to get up, but tripped again from more tremors.

“Doctor, wait… look at the monitor!” Samantha said as she pulled herself up with a rail. “Whatever’s happening, it’s stopping the collision!” She continued watching while the rest fought to grab a rail like she did. “The other earth is slowing… more… more… it’s stopped! Wait, even better, it’s getting pushed back!”

Slowly, with all efforts combined, the pony earth began to reverse direction. Gravity forces on both planets normalized bit by bit, until both planets were far away enough, each in a stable orbit around the sun.

The TARDIS finally calmed down too, and the Doctor stood, baffled. “How the…” He moved to the console and sent a communication request down to UNIT. Several seconds later, the screen blinked to show the office Colonel Hutchinson stood in, with two dozen computers all manned by scientists collecting data on the state of the planet.

“Doctor!” Colonel Hutchinson hadn’t been this happy in quite a while. “I’m so glad to see you at a time like this. You’re still a pony?”

“Yes, still working on that.”

Martha ran into the room and appeared in the camera’s view.

“Martha!” The Doctor smiled. “What in the world was that device you just used?”

“Project emerald,” Martha replied, returning the smile as relief came over her from seeing the Doctor. “A massively powerful anti-gravity pulse machine. A mixture of recovered alien technology with some technology of our own.”

“It certainly did the job!” the Doctor replied. “Martha, listen to me,” he continued, his face turning serious. “I don’t have much time to explain this, but I need you to do something for me. The paradox machine, the master, think back to it. Think back to how we defeated the master. It doesn’t matter that there’s not a satellite system, the dynamics have changed. But I need the same thing I needed before. You just have to trust me.”

Martha paused for a moment, but the memory came to her. “Consider it done.”

 

**

 

_Then it happened. In an undefinable portion of space, yet visible in the sky of every planet of every universe, a tear began to form. At first, it just looked like a thin line of electric, blue cloud. But soon after, the line spread, forming a thin oval. The inner region of the oval was more than just black, it was nothingness; the void, the gap between universes, seeping into the real world. This was the end._

 

**

 

The Doctor’s ears flattened as he looked at the readings, his head bowing.

“We’re too late,” River said, breathing heavily. “The void has opened, everything will start spilling in.” She pushed some more buttons, preparing something. “There’s already an entire galaxy that doesn’t exist. This hole, it’s everywhere and nowhere, across space and time.”

The Doctor thought hard about what he’d learned. What he thought his limits were, and what he wanted his limits to be. Chaos was at his maximum point of power now if he was executing his final plan; a fully charged destroyer from a realm the Doctor couldn’t explain.

Was this the end of all things? Were the winds of fate not in his favor? The Doctor had no idea if his thought would even work.

But there was no way he wouldn’t try.

The Doctor tilted his head up again. “No, it’s not too late,” he said. “We’re going into the void.”

River stared at the Doctor, then nodded, and hit the send key on what she’d been preparing. A message, to be sent through all of time and space that simply said:

_If you know the Doctor, put faith in him. He is trying._

The Doctor closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He focused on those around him, on those far away, and the golden aura slowly returned. He concentrated more, beginning to float into the air, and the TARDIS suddenly brightened tenfold, powered by the energy the Doctor was channeling. This is what the creator had been talking about. A mixture of universe energies flowing through his body gave him abilities that normally wouldn’t be possible even in powerful magical creatures. The void drive may have given the Doctor access to the void, but the key was the Doctor himself.

The TARDIS shook, rumbled, then soared at an unbelievable speed, disappearing into the universe tear. The Doctor did not need to manipulate any controls with his hoof to pilot the TARDIS.

 

**

 

 _Location undefinable_  
_Time undefinable_

 

Everything in Chaos’s plan was perfect. He grinned as whole universes began to fall into the void, entering a permanent state of chaos and nothingness. The entire infinity of creation was his.

He took bits and pieces from each universe, a planet here, a galaxy there, a galaxy cluster somewhere else. As he absorbed, the pull rate accelerated, only fueling Chaos’ power. He could feel the torment he caused, and relished in it, feeling all that creators made fall apart by his hand.

Then, Chaos felt something. Something he’d never felt before. A magic he’d never felt before. The Doctor had returned to the void, unharmed by the void’s pull on reality, and something was new.

“Impressive,” Chaos said to himself. “But not impressive enough.”

 

**

 

The TARDIS blasted through the void, headed directly for Chaos. The Doctor could feel everything, the power of the TARDIS, where Chaos was, and the screams of those falling into nothingness.

Suddenly, the TARDIS stopped cold. Everyone except the Doctor nearly flew across the room from the inertia.

“Chaos,” the Doctor said. “He’s stopping the TARDIS. I’m not strong enough.” The aura slowly started fading. He gritted his teeth, desperately pushing to hold on. He landed on the ground again, his head bowed in pain as part of the TARDIS console caught on fire. The TARDIS slowly moved backwards, Chaos pushing it away.

Paige ran to the Doctor, throwing her hooves around him. “You are strong enough Doctor!” Paige cried. “Please, you can do this! I know you can! I believe in you!”

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Earth_  
_21st century_

 

Martha had everyone in UNIT all across the world thinking of the Doctor. She stepped outside, looking up into reality’s tear, knowing the Doctor was in there.

“Come on, Doctor,” she said slowly. “You can do it.”

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Capetra_  
_42nd century_

 

Oliver held his daughter tightly, stroking her mane as she slept in his hooves. The planet’s atmosphere still held some heat, but the star Capetra orbited fell into reality’s tear, and the planet slowly grew cold.

“I know you can save us, Doctor,” Oliver whispered. “I know you can.”

 

**

 

 _Another universe_  
_Earth_  
_21st century_

 

The Doctor and Rose ran outside, alerts going off everywhere in UNIT. They looked up and saw the tear in reality, causing both of them to gasp. The prediction was right.

“Come on, Doctor,” Rose said, closing her eyes. “I know you’re up there.”

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_The Griffon Kingdom_  
_18th century_

 

Altea looked up into the sky from atop the castle, staring into the blackness between the tear in reality. He knew this giant mark in the sky was a dark omen, but one thought stuck in his head that he could rely on.

“It seems to be getting colder,” another castle guard said, walking up to Altea. This guard was not a griffon, rather, a pony. “With that thing… up in the sky. Some feel like the world is ending.”

“Perhaps…” Altea replied, keeping his gaze upward. “But there is one… one who is probably up there, trying to stop what is happening. If it weren’t for him, you and I would not be standing together today as allies. He’s the one that brought our kingdoms together.”

“Really?” The pony nodded. “This one you speak of, he sounds quite amazing. What is his name?”

“He does not have a name. He simply goes by the Doctor.”

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Earth_  
_New York_  
_20th century_

 

A woman smiled as her husband brought her some tea. She had just finished writing another chapter in her book, and knew it would be done soon.

“Thank you, dear,” she said, smiling.

“No problem,” he replied. Her husband stepped towards the window, looking outside. “Amy… have you seen this?”

Amy got up and stood next to Rory, looking up into the sky. Both of them gazed into reality’s tear, unsure of what it was.

“My god…” Amy whispered.

“Whatever’s going on… you think the Doctor’s up there?” Rory asked, remembering the times they had in the past. Well, “past” was a very relative term.

“If it’s trouble, he’s there,” Amy replied. “Watching over us from afar.” She sipped her tea, the appearance of the sky concerning her. “If it is trouble, I just hope he can fix it,” she said.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_New Vender_  
_Planet’s orbit_  
_46th century_

 

Equestrian Union ships struggled to hold up against the cyber ships that constantly improved themselves. Half a dozen ships already drifted in pieces, and crew members began to lose hope while they fought for their lives.

Across all the ships, an audio message came through from Admiral Ruby’s command post. “Attention everyone, this is Admiral Ruby,” the voice echoed. While continuing to fight, all the ponies on every ship listened. “I know things seem hopeless right now. But I promise you that we can make it through this fight. There is a pony called the Doctor, a stallion more incredible than I’ll ever be able to comprehend, and while he is far away right now, he is aiding in this fight without you even realizing. The Doctor is the reason I was alive to get promoted to admiral. But hope needs to stay strong. Believe in the Doctor, as I believe in him, and we will make it. In turn, believe in yourself.”

Back on the planet surface, Ruby smiled as efforts seemed to double after her audio message sent out. “We’re here for you, Doctor,” she said to herself.

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Earth_  
_21st century_

 

Geoff Noble gently pulled a blanket over Donna. The shaking of the planet gave her quite a fright, and afterwards she just wanted to sleep. He couldn’t blame her. It still pained him to look at her and know she forgot it all. She could never know again. Even telling her in more detail about the fact that another planet was in the sky might trigger a memory and hurt her.

Leaving her to sleep, Geoff stepped out of the house. He crossed his arms and rubbed his biceps, the night air a bit chilly. He looked up into the sky, seeing the planet that appeared from nowhere, and the tear in reality. Stars seemed to be disappearing in the night sky.

“Oh, Doctor,” Geoff said, a tear streaming down his face. “Please be up there, in the sky, fighting like you always do.” He sniffed, watching more and more stars disappear every second. “We need you.”

 

**

 

 _Location undefinable_  
_Time undefinable_

 

“I sent a message out, Doctor,” River said. “Not only are the ones closest to you thinking of you, but anyone capable of receiving my transmission now knows you’re up here, fighting. All the lives you’ve touched, all the planets you’ve saved. You forget how many millions of millions of people know your name.”

The Doctor could feel his energy growing and shut his eyes, more and more thoughts from others pouring into him. The aura surrounding him brightened again, then brightened more, more, until no one in the TARDIS could look directly at him. When he opened his eyes again, they were nothing but white light, even brighter than the rest of the aura around him. Paige felt herself gently pushed back by what seemed to be just air, and the Doctor turned to the doors.

The doors swung open by themselves, and outside was a sight that only the Doctor’s eyes could comprehend. All inside the TARDIS looked at the void itself. Moments later, the Doctor flew out of the TARDIS doors, no longer needing the protection of the ship and its void drive.

Far away, Chaos could feel the power of the Doctor growing. He in return increased his power of retaliation, absorbing energy from entire universes to hold him back.

Chaos did not have to defeat the Doctor. If Chaos held him off long enough for all of creation to fall into the void, the source of the Doctor’s power would disappear, and Chaos would create a personal hell for this being.

The Doctor couldn’t get closer. Chaos threw more and more power at him, keeping him at bay, trying to attack the power the Doctor was using. He tensed, and cleared his mind of everything except for those he cared about, focusing on one destination.

He began to close in. Slowly, bit by bit, the Doctor’s power outweighed the power Chaos threw back. “No…” Chaos said. “This isn’t possible...”

The Doctor felt like his mind had exploded into an entire new realm of possibility, things he couldn’t explain before suddenly seeming as simple as adding numbers. He began to fully understand where magic and his power came from, and used his power to send his voice across the void to Chaos.

“Chaos!” the Doctor called out. “I will not let these universes die!”

Chaos struggled to keep the Doctor at bay. “What makes you think you can stop me?” he yelled back, the Doctor now close enough for him to see.

“I was very confused by the universe I found myself in. Particularly by magic,” the Doctor continued, his voice stern. “But I explored. I let my curiosity fly. And I learned. You think you understand magic power, but here you are, alone in the void.” The Doctor began coming at an even faster rate, Chaos’ power beginning to buckle.

“While you’ve spent eternities in nothingness, I’ve spent my entire life traveling. I’ve met people. Brilliant people. Strong people. I have watched time and space flourish and burn, and I had so many people to share the experience with me. That’s when I realized what the pony universe is about.

“The magic of the pony universe may exist in a stronger form there, but its magic is not limited to that universe. It is everywhere, across the stars, waiting for people to take advantage of it. It is more powerful than a big bang, and more resilient than time itself. It’s what I have harnessed, and what you will never understand. But I do. I now understand what magic is.”

The Doctor now pushed against Chaos’ most inner defense, so close that Chaos could stare into the Doctor’s pure white eyes.

“Friendship… is… magic!”

The Doctor flew straight threw Chaos. Chaos screamed, his entire body turning into a bright white. He held his head, all his power draining from him in seconds, and the white light that made up his body shattered into a thousand pieces.

 

**

 

“The void drive is beginning to destabilize!” River shouted, examining the TARDIS’ running systems. “I don’t know how much longer we can stay here!”

“We can’t leave without the Doctor!” Paige replied.

Then, though there was still no one in the TARDIS capable of comprehending what the void outside looked like, they could hear the voice of the Doctor, and Chaos, engaging in their final conflict.

 

**

 

Those in the TARDIS heard the screams of Chaos, then nothing. Only the rumbles of the TARDIS shaking about in the void made any sound.

Then, at the doors to the TARDIS, a glowing hoof appeared. Then another, then a head, and the body of the Doctor, his eyes still growing brightly. His eyes returned to normal first, then the aura around the rest of his body dissipated, and the doors closed behind him.

“Doctor!” Paige sprinted to him, throwing her hooves around his neck. The Doctor staggered, but returned the hug with one hoof.

Paige dropped the hug, knowing everyone else would want to see him. “What happened?” Samantha asked.

“It is done,” the Doctor said, letting out a sigh. “Chaos is no more.”

“Did you kill him?” River asked.

“No. Just like Chaos couldn’t directly kill us, I couldn’t kill him,” the Doctor explained. “I drained him of all his energy. Chaos will, for all of eternity, live as a 1 year old draconequus.”

Everyone in the TARDIS cheered, hugging and whooping, while the Doctor simply grinned. “And though my power is fading, I can feel it. The creator was right. All the universes are returning to the way they were. The fabric between universes will be sealed, and only those of us who have experienced extensive time travel will remember that anything even happened.”

“So that means…” Paige frowned. “You saved all of infinity, and barely anyone will know.”

“Oh come on, Paige, it’s better that way,” the Doctor said. “I like a bit of anonymity. I travel for the same reason you joined me. Curiosity.

“The void will let us go home,” the Doctor continued. “My power’s just about faded, but the last thing I understand from all this jumbly stuff in my head is that in a little bit, this TARDIS will disappear, and we'll all pop back to where we were before all of this."

After the last of the Doctor’s power dissipated, suddenly he and Jack became surrounded by an aura similar to the one the Doctor had before. “What?” the Doctor said, no longer able to understand what was going on.

The strange aura pulled both of them upright and into the air, letting their hind hooves dangle beneath them. Then, slowly, their hind hooves began to disappear.

For Jack, the hind hooves were replaced with brown boots. Then his hind legs stretched out, forming human legs inside black pants. Bit by bit, Jack slowly became himself once more, right down to the coat that everyone knew him for.

The Doctor, however, had something new to experience due to regenerating. His hind legs stretched out, displaying brown suit pants, the same color his coat had been. Then a brown suit of a matching color, a white dress shirt underneath with a green tie, and a spiked hair style similar in design and color to the mane that covered his head before. On the outer side of his left pant leg, just below the belt, his cutie mark appeared, sewed into the pants.

Both were dropped down gently, and stood on feet once more. “Well…” Jack said, staring down at his body.

“You look… different,” Samantha said, amazed at the transformation.

“I feel like you’re more shocked by how I look now than when you saw me as a pony,” the Doctor replied with a laugh, looking himself up and down. “This is just me regenerated. And back in… time lord form.”

Paige slowly approached Doctor, now much shorter than him. The Doctor kneeled down, looking into her eyes. “Hello,” he said.

“Hello…” Paige replied, still a bit stunned. “So this is… you…”

“Yep, it’s me,” the Doctor replied, smiling.

“I’ve just… only ever known you as a pony,” Paige said.

The Doctor stood up again. “Well, here I am now! Ta da! See, I knew I’d want to use that again.”

“So what happens now?” Jack asked.

“Well, now is time to say our goodbyes,” the Doctor said.

After a pause, River took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Well Doctor, it’s been such a pleasure to see you again.” As she walked up to the Doctor, she gave him a wink. “Now where was I then… oh yes! My archaeology team and I were about to get contracted for a job. Head over to some giant library… anyways, it sounds serious, so I’ll give you a call, Doctor,” she added, grinning. “Should be next week. Though, actually, time travel, so maybe a month. Or maybe you’ve already explored the library with me!” River winked at him. “Don’t be giving me any spoilers if you have, it should be quite a journey.”

“River...” The Doctor reached out his hand, knowing exactly what River was talking about. He refrained from letting any emotion show, keeping his face straight. As she said, as much as it pained him, he couldn’t give any spoilers. “Good luck.”

River grinned again. “Thanks, sweetie. Until next time."

“Well, I’ve think I’ve had enough of archaeology, I don’t feel like joining on that library mission,” Jack said, clasping his hands together. “It’s time for me to kick back and relax for a while after all that adventuring.” He paused, thinking back on something. “Doctor, before I go, there’s something the creator said to me. She said I have some sort of task to complete, and I have to be here until it’s done. I have no idea what that means yet, but do you think it… do you think it means I’ll die… someday?”

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, once again preventing himself from letting news about the future out. “Let’s find out together,” the Doctor said, smiling.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack replied. He was about to speak more when Paige spoke up.

“Wait, Doctor,” Paige said. “Do... I have to go back to the pony world? Is it possible for me to stay with you?”

The Doctor cringed, and shut his eyes before slowly turning to Paige, his head bowed. “I’m sorry, Paige,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

Paige backed up from the Doctor slightly, raising a front hoof. “But…” her mouth began to quiver. “I thought… I could travel with you more… I didn’t think this would be it…”

The Doctor knelt down, opening his eyes again and looking at Paige. “Our universes are too far apart. Universe energy from both could never permanently mix, it’s only been possible because of the tears. Once the void closes, if you come to my universe, or I come to yours, it will rip apart everything again.”

“But… no…” Tears began to roll down Paige’s cheeks. “I… want to travel with you. I can’t go back to my old life! I can’t!” Paige ran up to the Doctor and threw her front hooves around him, beginning to sob into his shoulder. The Doctor slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight in return and rubbing her back gently.

The Doctor knew it had to happen, but at the same time, something stirred inside him that wouldn’t sit. It shouldn’t be like this. This shouldn’t be what has to happen. Paige was the friend he needed in a universe he didn’t understand, and she showed him so much. She helped him so much. And he couldn’t stand to see her cry like this.

The Doctor slammed his fist on the TARDIS floor, scaring Paige, Samantha and Jack. He stood up, pulling away from his embrace with Paige, beginning to pace around the TARDIS.

“No, there has to be a way,” the Doctor said, anger rising in his voice as he paced faster. “The creator, she said she’d help me if she could find a way, but it would have to be subtle. She couldn’t interfere too much, I’d have to find out on my own. The hint, it had to be somewhere.”

Samantha shook her head, frowning. “Doctor, maybe there isn’t a way. Everything you just said, the universes would tear apart if she came with you-“

“No! There has to be away!” Samantha took a step back, never having heard the Doctor lash out like that. “She doesn’t deserve for it to end like this, she doesn’t deserve to be alone again.”

“I’m sorry Doctor,” Samantha replied. “But you can’t be the one that fixes everything, it’s not possible. It’s just not who you are-“

“Well it’s who I want to be!” The Doctor stopped pacing, breathing heavily and glaring at Samantha. Samantha took another step back, bowing her head. Paige’s sobs quieted, slightly fearful of the rage the Doctor just showed. The Doctor calmed a bit, realizing that he unfairly snapped at another true friend of his. “I’m sorry, Samantha,” the Doctor said, sighing. “It’s just- wait…” A thought began to form in the Doctor’s head. “Wait… who I want…”

“What is it, Doctor?”

_Silver nodded. “Thank you, Doctor. I guess it’s just like Celestia’s saying.”_

And further back…

_"Oh, it's not about who you are, Doctor," Celestia replied, stopping and turning her head. The Doctor paused, looking back as well. "What matters is who you want to be."_

“Princess Celestia,” the Doctor said slowly, a grin forming once more. “You told me the first time we met.”

“What do you mean, Doctor?” Samantha asked.

“Why is it that I turned into a pony when I entered the pony universe, but you and River didn’t?” the Doctor asked. He began pacing again, but this was a very different pace. Jack and Samantha both knew it. This was how the Doctor paced when he had an epiphany. “And when I returned to my universe, I stayed a pony? It’s because it’s not about the universe you’re in. It’s not about who you are. It’s who you want to be.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “I’m still not following.”

“Samantha, you and River came into the pony universe, but you were just looking for me, that’s all you wanted,” the Doctor went on. “You didn’t need to become ponies to find me. Me, on the other hand, I wanted to help others without scaring them. I wanted to be able to blend in, like I do on earth. So I became a pony. And when I was sent back to my universe by Chaos,” he went on, talking faster and faster. “All I wanted to do was get back to where I was, for I knew something bad was happening. Hence I stayed a pony in my universe.”

“So… you’re saying I turned in to a pony… because I wanted to?” Jack chimed in, crossing his arms. “I’m not sure what that says about me.”

“Paige.” The Doctor walked up to her and knelt down again, looking straight at her. “Answer me honestly. Do you truly, with all your heart, want to travel with me?”

Paige still shed a few tears, but they were slowing as she took in all that the Doctor said. She stood up, and looked right back. “Yes.”

“Then that’s it. You can,” the Doctor replied, grinning widely. “You can travel with me for as long as you like, Paige.”

The conversation stopped when the TARDIS began to shake. The final resealing of the universes neared.

“No, we’re so close to figuring it out,” the Doctor said, standing. “No, we can’t get this close and not succeed. Paige!” The TARDIS around them started to fade. “We can figure this out! You just have to want it! There has to be a way, Paige! Just remember-“

The TARDIS holding them disappeared.

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Capetra_  
_42nd century_

 

Oliver kissed his young daughter on the forehead, and moved to put on his coat.

“Will you be back soon?” his wife asked.

“Yes, I’ll be back soon sweety,” Oliver replied. “I’m taking a shuttle to a trade planet. There’s a species there called tembars, and they’re very kind,” he continued. “They have a medicine that will save our daughter. Within a week of my return, she’ll be just fine.”

“I’m so glad,” his wife said, giving him a kiss on the cheek to see him off. “Take care, honey.”

“I will.”

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_The Griffon Kingdom_  
_18th century_

 

On the outside, the griffon kingdom shined with glory. Tall castles with painted roofs decorated the land, standing as beacons of shelter and warmth. Inside tiny villages, adults worked hard, farming the land and serving the government, while the young ones laughed and played, free to go about as they wished. Behind the walls of the great kingdom, the content mirrored the exterior appearance. Except for some political issues, nothing plagued the shining kingdom.

Prince Davion stroked his beak with a claw as he waited for princess Celestia to arrive from Canterlot. He felt tense about this meeting; the two kingdoms never really agreed on anything. Now Celestia was coming personally to try and form an alliance.

At last, the princess arrived, and Prince Davion greeted her with a formal bow as a sign of respect to another leader. Celestia returned the bow.

“Princess,” Prince Davion began. “I open my castle doors to you today, but I cannot promise any agreement between our kingdoms,” he said.

“This I understand,” Celestia replied. “But I believe there is potential. You and I must put are differences aside, and stop focusing on who we are on the outside. What matters is what we want, and I believe we both want peace.”

Prince Davion thought for a moment, and nodded. “I believe you may be right. Come, let us speak.”

 

**

 

 _Galaxy O, Sector 5_  
_46th century_

 

Captain Ruby let out a contented sigh as she drifted her ship amongst the stars, the fuel cells currently recharging. No calls had come; it was a quiet day out in space, no emergencies to go after. She commanded the Equestrian Union ship Wanderer. A very small ship with a small crew, but she had volunteered for the job, and loved every crew member on board. And she loved two in particular even more.

“Luke,” Ruby turned on the com and called directly to Daniel and Luke’s living quarters. “If it’s not private husband and husband time, Rufus could use some help down in the engineering bay.”

“Uh… roger captain,” Daniel’s voice replied slowly through the com. “He’ll be down there in uh… ten minutes.”

Ruby laughed. “Roger, Daniel. Thanks.” She shut off the com and leaned back in her chair, smiling and dreaming the future, perhaps making admiral one day.

 

**

 

 _Earth_  
_Canterlot_  
_Late 21st century_

 

Lieutenant Silver was relieved to take off his armor when he quietly entered his home. His son was not awake yet for it was still early, but his wife always awoke to greet him at the end of a night shift.

“Welcome home, Silver,” his wife said. “How was the guard?”

“Just fine, a quiet night,” Silver replied. “However one interesting thing happened. Near the end of my shift, princess Luna asked to see me. She said she found my work impressive, and that if I continued along the same path, I’d be a great candidate for captain of the royal guard when the current one retires.”

“That’s great!” His wife brought him a cup of his favorite tea, which he gratefully accepted. “You really do work hard.”

“I know I do, but to make captain… and the way she looked at me…” Silver trailed off, then chuckled. “It’s like she remembers something about me that I don’t. A rather strange feeling.”

 

**

 

_1850 years earlier_

 

Celestia was a young alicorn, only about a century old, still learning how to use her powers. She entered the bed chambers of her mother, who watched over her sleeping little sister.

“Mother?” Celestia called out. “Are you alright?”

“I am, my dear,” the creator replied. “You know what happens soon, don’t you?”

Celestia went to her mother’s side, snuggling in close like Luna had on the other side. “You have to go away?”

“Yes,” she said. “But don’t be sad. Your mother will always be watching you. I have told you all that you need to know. You and your sister are meant to rule this land. You are meant to show these ponies harmony, and bring them together. As for the one that is foretold, put your faith in him. Things will be fine.”

“I will, mother,” Celestia said. “I’ll remember everything you’ve told me.”

“Thank you.”

 

**

_The Doctor’s universe_  
_Gallifrey_  
_Exact time unknown_

 

“ATTENTION TARDIS PILOT, YOUR SHIP IS RECOGNIZED AS A KNOWN INTELLIGENCE COLLECTOR. YOUR SHIP CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION ON DALEK PLANS. YOUR SHIP WILL BE DESTROYED. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”

The Scout shut off the com, hanging on tight again as she flew her ship in a close range evasion pattern, having a harder time now. The dalek shipped fired incessantly, and she had nothing to hide behind, only empty space. She had to get away, if not for her life then at least for the information she had.

Then suddenly, years of memories hit her like a brick flying into her face. She staggered away from the console for a moment, then when she recovered, she couldn’t believe all the knowledge that had been missing from her head.

“If I’m here… then the Doctor saved everyone!” The Scout jumped for joy, forgetting about her current dilemma for a few moments. “I knew you could do it, Doctor!” After another blast hit her ship, however, she snapped back into reality.

This is why The Scout didn’t let the Doctor save her. At Oliver’s house, she realized that when everything was over, she would probably end up back in the time war. There’d be no way for the Doctor to come get her.

Which was ok. The Doctor had showed her so much, and given her hope for Gallifrey. She had lived out her final regeneration happy, thanks to him.

The Scout scanned her surroundings. There was no temporal storm to save her anymore. The dalek ship would have her.

She ignored evasive maneuvers, and focused on preparing a data message. She compiled all the intelligence her ship had found, preparing to send it down to Gallifrey and delete it from the TARDIS, in case any wreckage was left when her ship was destroyed. Then, she began to record a voice message to add to the data package.

“This is the Scout,” she began. “I am recording this message because I know that when this is all over, Gallifrey will be saved by someone special; the planet will survive, somewhere, and maybe, just maybe, the right person will be able to listen to this file someday.” She took a deep breath. “Doctor, if you ever get to hear this, this is Minuette. I only have one thing that needs to be said. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

She stopped the recording, and added the file to the data package. After she sent it down to Gallifrey, she began to manipulate other controls, preparing to stop the ship. Her TARDIS had taken too much damage; she couldn’t teleport off, and she couldn’t keep running. As she prepared to stop the TARDIS’ evasive maneuvers, she smiled warmly, knowing that in another reality, she had lived her life happily, and to the fullest.

 

**

 

 _Benzo_  
_62nd century_

 

The TARDIS took off from Benzo’s surface before anyone went out to explore; they had seen the planet once already and knew what happened.

The Doctor was quiet, and Samantha didn’t know what to say. They got so close. So close to finding the solution. The Doctor breathed deeply as he backed away from the console, leaning back against the railing. As when Minuette died, he held no more tears to let out.

“Doctor,” Samantha said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” the Doctor replied. He gripped the rail tightly with his hands. Because he was so directly involved with closing the void, one thing from what no longer happened remained; he was regenerated. He had his new hair style, and wore his brown suit with his cutie mark on the side.

“But we did save every universe in all of existence,” Samantha said. “You saved infinitely many lives, a number I don’t even want to try to comprehend. We won. It’s just… Paige… you cared for her so much…”

“But she’s gone now,” the Doctor said simply. “I miss her, yes, but the universes are closed. There’s nothing I can do.”

Samantha frowned. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “So we just… carry on?”

The Doctor nodded, turning to look at Samantha and putting on a slight smile, his sadness clearly behind it. “We’ve got plenty more exploring to do,” the Doctor said. “We have to just carry on.”

 

**

 

_I realize now that my writings may have misled any readers a bit, in calling this the end of all things. I will explain soon, but my time is almost up, and there is a bit more to this story that I must tell._

 

**

 

 _The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_South London_  
_21st century_

 

Paige sat with her head bowed in the middle of a large, grassy field, on the exact spot where she had originally found the TARDIS. A few tears trickled from her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to cry anymore.

Later, Paige slowly walked through the cobblestone streets of town. She had a conversation with a grey earth pony pulling a cart of grapes, watched a unicorn mare use her magic to take a closed sign off of her flower shop, all the little things that were new wonders to the Doctor. They had been exciting.

Paige sat down outside a café, the same café she ate lunch at with the Doctor. She ordered a daisy sandwich, and ate slowly. While she ate, no alien ship appeared in the sky, causing everypony to run in terror. It was just a normal day.

A normal day. Paige had forgotten what a normal day felt like. She didn’t realize how much was missing in her life until she met the Doctor, and let her curiosity run wild. The adventures she went on with him, the good and the bad, the funny and the dangerous, she cherished every memory. And desperately wished she could see him again.

Paige thought back on what the Doctor told her to remember. The solution the Doctor thought he had. She didn’t know how she’d be able to figure it out if the Doctor couldn’t. But when she thought about it, she knew a pony who might have the answer.

 

**

 

_Canterlot_

 

Recognizing the name, Celestia accepted Paige’s request to see her. “Good afternoon Paige,” she said, beaming as the little blue pony entered the main room of the castle where she sat. “It is so wonderful to see you well. I remember everything.”

“Hello, princess,” Paige said softly, approaching Celestia.

Celestia frowned. “Why the glum look, Paige?” she asked. “Does something trouble you?”

Paige let out a sigh, then began to tell the tale of all that happened in the void. How the Doctor stopped Chaos, the realization that she couldn’t go with him, and what the Doctor recalled Celestia saying.

“I just can’t imagine going back to a life where he’s not there,” Paige said, a few tears falling again due to her sharing the story. “I don’t know what to do.”

Celestia listened intently to the entire story. When Paige finished, she smiled widely. “Do not fret, Paige,” she said. “Unfortunately I could not interfere directly, there would have been too many problems. I was told I could only leave my hint behind, and that you had to approach me with your knowledge of it. Now that you have, I can help.”

Paige looked up, her eyes filling with hope. “You can?”

“I can, but not today,” Celestia replied. “I will arrange a train ticket to get you home, and another train ticket for later. Go home and get some rest. In 30 moons, you will meet me in the crystal empire.”

 

**

 

 _The Crystal Empire_  
_30 moons later_

 

Paige lived through what felt like the longest month of her life, waiting for the day Celestia selected. She returned to work at the library, ate 3 meals a day, read more books, particularly science fiction now. She didn’t know why a need for a wait existed or why they needed to come to the crystal empire, but she followed her instructions, taking the train ticket Celestia arranged for her and coming to the castle.

Celestia greeted Paige at the front entrance, and walked her through the castle. She led her deep inside, into a secret room. When Celestia opened the doors, Paige stepped in, looking around.

The room was well lit, but empty, except for one object at the end of the room. On the other side stood a large mirror, the outer edge a purple color with pink gems, fancily decorated.

“I don’t understand, princess,” Paige said. “What is this mirror?”

“It is a mirror created by the ancient creator, the one you met,” Celestia explained. “It takes you to another world. The Doctor’s world.”

Paige gasped. “But, the void closed. There’s no way to travel-“

“This mirror is special,” Celestia interrupted. “There was a time when the Doctor’s kind could travel between universes without making tears. The magic in this mirror is similar to the technology they once had. The creator used the last bit of magic in her before disappearing to create this mirror. It opens once every 30 moons.”

Paige cautiously approached the mirror. “So, if I go through, I can see the Doctor again?”

“There is a condition,” Celestia warned. “As you know, our universes are too far apart for anything holding one universe’s universe energy to permanently reside in the other. But, as I told the Doctor,” Celestia paused. “It doesn’t matter who you are. If being with the Doctor is what you truly want, and you know for sure, you can go. But you have to know for sure. If you are not, you could show up in the other universe as a pony, and both this universe and the Doctor’s universe would fall apart from the imbalance.

“This mirror has been used before. Once I had to send princess Twilight Sparkle through this mirror on a special mission. Her friends wanted to help, but I had to refuse. I knew that Twilight was the only one who truly wanted to help badly enough to send through. Luckily, when her baby dragon unexpectedly ran after her, he also truly wanted to help enough, and transformed. I am willing to trust you and let you walk through the mirror, but remember, two universes are at stake. Will you go?”

Paige stared at the mirror for a long moment, completely silent. The Doctor was out there, somewhere on the other side. She knew this was what she wanted; she wanted it more than anything in the world, but to try and find him again would involve great risk. She’d be in a world she didn’t understand. 

_"For you Paige, I have only one question," the alicorn said. "I know much about the Doctor, and a lot converges around him. Even my small amount of help could change the winds of fate drastically. Dangerous things could happen. All I have to ask you, is the Doctor worth it?"_

_Paige thought for a while before responding, taking the question seriously. "Sometimes, not everyone is saved," Paige began. "But it's not the Doctor's fault, and there would be many more dead if the Doctor weren't here. He's worth the risk."_

Paige turned to Celestia, and slowly nodded. “I’ll go,” she said.

Celestia grinned. “Then Paige, it was an honor to meet you,” Celestia said. “You truly are a brilliant pony. Good luck.”

“Thank you, princess.” Paige turned, staring at the mirror. She closed her eyes, and focused on all the memories she had of the Doctor. She wanted this. It didn’t matter who she was.

She stepped through.

 

**

 

 _The Doctor’s universe_  
_Earth_  
_21st century_

 

Paige groaned and rubbed her head as she sat up, her eyes opening. She gasped when she saw she was somewhere else. Turning behind her, she saw that she had come out from a statue. She looked to her left, and saw a large building, the words “Canterlot High” printed on it. Then she looked down.

She wasn’t a pony. She was wearing clothes. She looked like the Doctor did. Long legs, arms with… she remembered the Doctor calling them fingers.

“Oh my…” Paige said under her breath. “I… I made it...”

Paige stood up, spinning all around, trying to absorb everything around her. She was here. The Doctor’s universe. She made it.

When Paige tried to take a step, she nearly tripped. She looked down at her two legs, two less than she was used to. She recalled everything she could about how the Doctor and his friends looked, and how they used their appendages.

“I have a lot to learn.”

 

**

 

 _Arizona, USA_  
_1 month later_

 

The Doctor ran to the shore of one of a lake’s many beaches, gazing out and trying to spot one of the giant fish in the lake. The fish had crash landed their spaceship inside the lake and had been terrorizing people that tried to go out on boats or swim. Samantha ran after him, panting for breath when she finally caught up.

“Ok, I don’t have enough bananas for plan A,” the Doctor said. “So we need a plan B.”

On the Doctor’s other side, another woman ran up. Her hair was long and a beautiful blond color, a sort of faded yellow. Her clothes were a faded blue, and she panted as well. She tried to speak, but was too out of breath, and could only stand there and wave while the Doctor stroked his chin, thinking, not noticing a thing. Samantha turned to look, and at first just thought the woman was strange, but then gasped, her eyes widening.

“Alright! Here’s the plan,” the Doctor said, clasping his hands together. “I’m going to go get a boat. Samantha, you get something to feed the fish with. And Paige, you go to the TARDIS and open the box on the console. Get the red thingy; that will be important. Ready? Let’s go.”

The Doctor turned and ran off. Samantha and Paige turned and stared at him run, dumbfounded. They then turned and stared at each other, both shocked. A few seconds later, the Doctor came running back.

Stepping between the two of them, the Doctor looked at Paige. He’d never seen her like this, and yet it was so obvious that it was her. He could see the unique curiosity in her eyes. He stared into them. It’d been a few months for him since he’d last seen those eyes. “Paige?”

“Doctor!”

“Paige! It’s you!” The Doctor smiled wider than he had in ages, and cheered. He threw his arms around Paige, picked her up, and spun her around, both of them laughing.

When he set her down, he hugged her one more time. “Paige! You… you’re here! You found out how to make it!”

“I did!” she shouted with glee. “You were right about what had to be done. Celestia was able to help me when I came to her. It took me a month of looking for trouble to find you, and there were some rough times trying to figure out how to live without wings or hooves, but… I found you!”

The Doctor and Paige hugged again, and afterwards Samantha and Paige hugged.

“I never got the chance to know you well, and now I can,” Samantha said.

“Same here,” Paige replied.

“Paige, you have no idea how happy I am right now,” the Doctor said. “I mean, you’re here! Now I’ve got two of my best friends with me. We should celebrate! I know a great restaurant on this planet that has three suns-“

“Doctor,” Paige interrupted. “Weren’t you saying something about giant fish?”

Everyone turned to the lake when they heard a loud shriek. A giant fish had jumped up out of the water of the lake, and splashed back in. “Right. Giant fish. Got distracted,” the Doctor said, scratching his head. “Well then, giant fish first, celebration later. I grab a boat, Samantha grabs food, Paige grabs the red thingy. The plan still works.”

“I’m a little curious about where these giant fish came from,” Paige said.

“That’s exactly what I’d thought you’d say,” the Doctor said. Then, with new found joy, he took off running, panting in the desert heat.

 

**

 

_You see, by the end of all things, I did not mean that Chaos won. It was the end of the Doctor’s time in the pony universe, the end of all those that had met him, except for Paige and the princesses, knowing him. And an end does not need to be sad. In fact, endings can be happy. For without something ending, nothing can begin. Martha had to end her travels with the Doctor to go experience her own life. After the universes reset, River went on to explore the library, and her journey with the Doctor ended. But, in doing so, the Doctor’s journey with River began._

_This is the story that I have meant to tell. In the infinity of time and space, everything is always ending, and everything is always beginning. With the end of all things comes new adventures. Those whose memory of the Doctor has faded will now experience something brand new. One could never open a new book if they couldn’t close the one they were reading._

_I guess I also sort of meant me, when I used the term ‘the end of all things.’ For since the universes are sealed again, the universe energy from the other universe that was allowing me to see the Doctor is fading away. The time has come for my story to end. I never remember any of what I’ve seen of the Doctor when awake, and now I will no longer see him while asleep either. But who knows? Maybe, someday, someone will figure out how to find what I have written while dreaming, and be able to read it. Then that person can have a brand new beginning._

_So that’s it. I’m going to wake up soon. I’ll be returning to my normal life, in my normal home, with my normal parents. But I live happily now. For although the memories are gone, there is one tiny thing that sticks, and I don’t even realize it. You see, it doesn’t matter how normal I seem. How many generic popular TV shows I watch, or how average my life is. Because it doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is who I want to be. I’m happy, and where I want to be in life. What others may think doesn’t matter._

 

_Signed,_

_Donna Noble_

 

 

**

 

_Epilogue_

_The pony universe_  
_Earth_  
_A bar in Canterlot_  
_Late 21st century_

 

It was late on a Friday night, and everypony was either out on a date, out with friends, or home. Unfortunately, for one stallion sitting at the bar, his friends were on guard shift, and he had nothing to do. He let out a sigh. It seemed unless his friends were off shift when he was, he never had any plans.

The stallion was a grey pegasus, a young officer on the Canterlot royal guard. He seemed to have no luck ever finding a date, and didn’t want to think about how many times he sat in this bar alone.

To his surprise, a larger, dark blue stallion sat down right next to him. He didn’t know who he was, but he wasn’t going to be rude. The stallion could sit where he wanted.

“Ensign Wing,” the stallion said. “How are you?”

Wing’s eyes widened. He looked at the pony next to him. “How do you know my name?” he asked.

“We’ve met before, but you wouldn’t remember,” the blue stallion replied. “My name’s captain Jack Harkness. Nice to see you.”

Wing had no idea how he was blushing just from this stallion saying hello. “Um, hi,” he said, confused but intrigued. “Is there anything else I don’t remember?”

“I offered to buy you a drink once,” Jack replied. “Never got the chance to do it. But I guess you could say I… wanted to badly enough that I found you again. So what do you say? Wanna let me buy you a drink, maybe you can keep finding out more mysteries about me?”

Wing didn’t understand a single thing Jack said, but at the same time, he was nice. He was a military officer like him. And he couldn’t shake this strange feeling he got about him…

“Why not?” Wing decided. “I’ll accept that drink.”

“Perfect,” Jack replied with a grin. “Let’s talk about how good you are with spears.”


End file.
